Notebooks and Easels
by Lights aura858
Summary: Would You Like to Play A Game Again? Or How Two Girls Don't Learn Their Lesson about Clicking On Spam
1. Chapter 1

In Which Two Hypocrites Don't Learn Their Lesson About Clicking on Spam

* * *

L.A.: Ahem…

Amu: So….

L.A.: Yeah… it's been awhile.

Amu: People probably don't even remember us.

L.A. Been busy with life, but maybe everyone won't hate me because I have a new story.

Amu: (grins evilly) and not just any story, it's a sequel: Notebooks and Easels

L.A.: So, if you haven't read Pencils and Paintbrushes, you should probably read it first.

Amu: It's not necessary, but it'll help you understand certain things if you do.

L.A.: So sit back and relax as I, your host, and my muse a talking blue wolf wearing a crescent moon mask.

Amu: a.k.a. number 1 badass.

L.A. : (rolls eyes) guide you through a story of cliffhangers, random movie references, and two crazy hyper girls who find themselves once again in the Yu Yu Hakusho world.

Amu: I hope you have some popcorn because we're in for another wild crazy ride.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. This should be obvious by now. My life would be amazing if I did own it.

* * *

The girl didn't know why she was there. Everything about this scenario screamed danger. A dark abandoned warehouse… A mysterious invitation from a stranger…. The full moon glowing eerily in the cloudless night sky…

And yet, here she was. Standing before the building, clinching the invitation like it was a security blanket.

She smoothed out the invitation and read it for the dozenth time.

 _Don't you want to go back? I know you do. It claws, festers and boils inside you._

 _I can stop it. I can fix it._

 _You just need to meet me at the Old Shipping Warehouse at midnight on Monday._

 _S._

She had practically memorized it over the past week. How couldn't she? What this person was implying… If he could take her back, she would practically do…

"Anything." She breathed out.

"Anything?" A voice said from the shadows.

She shivered, not just because the voice scared her, but it also sounded familiar.

"Well," the voice said. "Then it seems we have an accord."

* * *

"SomeBODY once told me. The world was gonna roll me."

"Stop." Tori's eye twitch. The brown hair green-eyed girl had thought when she was reunited with their best friend during vacation, they were going to do something fun. She didn't expect a horrible rendition of Smash Mouth's All Star.

"I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed."

"Obviously, you're not if you think singing this song was a good idea."

Sira rolled her eyes. The blond haired blue eyed girl had expected her friend to be in a bad mood after the airplane. "Um, singing Smash Mouth is always necessary when recreating our childhood. I used to jam to this during the summer."

"Yeah. When we were ten."

Sira stopped at traffic light and turned to Tori. "Which is important since we must go say our farewells to the place that used to be our favorite haunt."

Tori bowed her head. Their hometown mall had gone bankrupt and was finally closing down. All their childhood haunts soon to be bulldozed all thanks to the internet.

"You're right. How could I forget."

"So," Sira turned to Tori. "What a concept. I could use a little fuel myself and we can all use a little change." Sira wiggled her eyebrows, waiting.

Tori rolled her eyes and grinned.

So, Tori and Sira sang All Star out of tune and were judged by fellow drivers as they headed to the mall.

* * *

"Well, this is depressing." Tori turned Sira.

She didn't look happy either.

The mall was a shell of what it once was. Amazon and other online stores, had taken its toll. Most of the store fronts were either closed down or doing massive going out of business sales. It was a sorry state.

Sira's eyes widen as she pointed to her right. "Nooooo! Not the Dip and Dot stand." She wailed. Where will I be able to get my ice creamy goodness?"

A couple hurried past them, sending Sira dirty looks.

"People are staring."

"I don't care. Screw the internet," Sira held up her clinched fist in emphasis. "They are the cause of our beloved mall's demise."

Tori smirked. "You don't really mean it do you?"

"No…. because without the internet I would cease to function." Sira shot Tori a glare. "You know you don't have to point out I'm a hypocrite."

Tori batted her eyes innocently. "But, then I wouldn't be your best friend."

Sira crossed her arms. "Okay, well speaking of being best friends, tell me how these businesses could survive with your _accounting_ expertise."

She knew Sira was baiting her and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to prevent her from coming back with a snide remark. Sira still hadn't forgiven her for switching from art. A couple months back, Tori had changed her major from art to accounting. Accounting was a good occupation. You follow the rules, do the job, and no one would complain. No one would criticize you and call your work trash even if you spent days working on what you believed was your best work yet.

Her cheek was beginning to hurt.

"For your information, there are several possibilities," Tori's eyes drifted across the store fronts. "Though I don't know if it would help since they're so specialized…"

Tori stopped dead in her tracks. Sira followed her gaze and her mood immediately soured.

A big poster was slapped on the window of their favorite video game/ dvd store. The giant face of Yusuke stared back at them. A cartoon bubble over his head stated that all seasons of Yu Yu Hakusho were 75% off.

"I still miss them too," Sira whispered.

It had been six months. Six months since their adventure in the Yu Yu Hakusho world and the portal between their worlds mysteriously closed. There was no warning. No goodbyes. One minute they were hanging out with their friends and the next, they were gone. Like they had never existed.

A hollow feeling began to expand in Tori's chest. She quickly looked away. "It doesn't matter. It's over now."

Sira frowned. "Depressing much?"

"I'm serious. We need to move on. It's not healthy to be so consumed by something that is gone."

Sira's phone vibrated. "There's always a way." Sira pulled out her phone ignoring Tori's exasperated groan.

"Do you really think they are pinning over us? No. They've moved on."

Sira's eyes widened. "Tori. I've got mail."

"Trying to change the subject isn't going to help."

Sira shook her head. "No. You don't understand. I've…got…mail." She held it up for Tori to see. In Sira's inbox was a new message. The sender was listed as unknown, but the subject line was what caught their attention.

 **Subject: Would You Like to Play a Game Again?**

"Could be spam."

Sira smirked. "Only one way to find out." She clicked open the email.

 **It's time to play a game again**

 **To Reunite with long lost friends**

 **What was lost, needs to be found**

 **Otherwise the clock will forever be rewound**

 **Fix the past to reopen the present**

 **You know the answer that must be sent.**

Sira glared. "Akira must have help the Molester with this email. I told you he was evil."

Tori didn't hear her. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her breath was caught in her throat. If this email was real. If they could go back and see them. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei… Kurama. It could mean…

She realized that Sira was staring at her expectantly. "What are you waiting for?"

Sira shrugged. "Like you said. It's probably spam. We should just move on with our lives."

"Oh you know that was a bunch of bullcrap. Now send the damn email."

"Hypocrite."

"Yeah, yeah. I know throw right back at me."

Sira smirked before sending the word yes back in the email. As soon as she clicked send, it was as if time had stopped. People were frozen in mid motion. The elevator style music sound distorted and slowed down.

Tori winced. "I always hated this part."

Sira nervously inched closer to Tori. "I swear he'd better have upgraded the transportation. If we have to fall into a black hole…"

Sira was cut off when a giant hole appeared underneath them. Both girls screamed as they dropped.

The wind whistled past them as they fell deeper into the blackness. "Why is this a thing?" Tori yelled. Her words could barely be heard over the roar of the wind.

"Because they apparently have an Alice in Wonderland fetish." Sira flailed her arms in a desperate attempt to slow her flight.

Tori wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but it felt like they were falling faster. The feeling was nauseating. Tori closed her eyes to try to stop herself from hurling.

A second later she felt someone shake her shoulder.

"Tori? You okay?"

Tori opened her eyes to see Sira frowning at her. "I thought we were falling."

"So, did I, but then suddenly, we were here."

Tori glanced around. They were on a sidewalk by a busy street. Shops lined both sides of the road. The sign fronts were written in Kanji.

Tori breathed out. "We made it."

A sudden gust of cold wind whipped by them. They immediately wrapped their arms around themselves as they shivered.

"What the hell. Since when was Japan cold in the summer?"

Tori felt something wet hit her cheek. Looking up, she saw the first flakes of snow drift lazily down.

Sira held out her hand as a snowflake landed on it. "Snow?"

Tori shrugged. "We're in the Yu Yu Hakusho world. Maybe their timeline different than ours?" After all, when they had returned previously, it had been at the exact moment that they were transported to the Yu Yu Hakusho world. It could have been years since they had last come. Tori tried not to let the thought depress her.

"So, what do we do now?"

Tori glanced down at Sira's and her summer clothes. She had a feeling if they stayed out here any longer, they'd start getting frost bite. "Go somewhere warm?"

Sira rolled her eyes. "No shit, Sherlock. I meant about the others. Should we go surprise them?"

Tori bit her lip. Although she still felt excited, the idea of seeing them after so long suddenly made her nervous. What if they had moved on. Or worse, what if they didn't care.

Sira perked up. "Hey. Problem solved. There's Keiko."

Tori followed Sira's gaze and saw a brown haired brown eyed girl walking with several friends. Even though it had been six months, Tori could have picked her out any where. Thankfully, she hadn't aged. Maybe it was just the seasons that were strange in this world.

"I'm going to go say hi," Sira skipped toward Keiko.

Tori was about to follow when something from the corner of her eye caught her attention. When she turned, her eyes widened.

"Keiko!" Sira sang as she approached Keiko.

Keiko turned around and frowned. "Yes?"

Sira grinned excitedly. "Long time no see."

Keiko eyed her warily. "I don't follow."

"It's been ages." Sira shrugged it off. "No matter. It's so good to see you again."

The other girls watched the exchange from a distance. Keiko took a slight step backwards. "I'm sorry, but I think you have me confused for someone else."

"What?"

"Have a good day." She hurried off to catch up with the other girls who huddled around her probably grilling her for details.

Sira stared after them in disbelief. "Seriously?" She stomped back to Tori who hadn't moved an inch. "I don't know what happened, but Keiko's become a bitch. I'm totally too cool to be snubbed like that."

"Sira…" Tori's face was pale.

Sira frowned. "You okay?"

Tori shook her head. She felt like she had tunnel vision. All she could see was the newspaper. "No, look."

Sira turned to see that Tori was staring at a newspaper stand. "It's a newspaper stand."

"Look at the date."

Sira frowned. "It's December. Like you said. Time probably moves faster here."

"No, look at the year." Tori urged. The black lettering wavered in her vision as if it were taunting her.

Sira turned back to the newspaper. Her eyes widened. "That was last year."

"And the same date that we first arrived here."

Sira turned back to Tori. "You mean the reason why it's winter here, why Keiko was a bitch…"

Tori slowly nods. "I think we went back in time."

Sira's jaw dropped. "Oh my Goooooooooo-"

* * *

L.A.: And thus the cliffhangers begin again.

Amu: (eating pie) I'd be mad but I'm too happy by the magical pie that's appeared before me. Probably a distraction, but it's pie. I can't resist.

L.A.: Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I feel like in the past eight years, I have matured and can hopefully write better, stronger stories that-

Amu: OH MY GOD! PIE! Sweet glorious pie! Everything should be pie. People should live the life of pie but not the book because it's depressing. Only sweet gooey yummy pie!

L.A.: Never mind…Anywho you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	2. Octopi and Carrot Tops are Unreliable

Octopi and Carrot tops are Unreliable

* * *

L.A.: Howdy do! I'm back with Chapter 2 and, I'm keeping on track with my schedule.

Amu: Which is a miracle.

L.A.: Why are you so negative today?

Amu: I haven't had pie. Life is miserable without pie.

L.A.: You had it this morning.

Amu: (wailing) And it was so long ago.

L.A.: Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Review Replies:

Angel of Randomosity: Thanks for the review! You know you love it. Especially those cliffhangers, ha.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, I would be fluent in Japanese. The struggle to learn is real.

* * *

"-ooooooooooooooooood!"

Tori glared at her. "Is a Trolls 2 reference necessary?"

"When shit hits the fan, a Trolls 2 reference is always necessary." Sira tried to appear calm on the outside. But truth of the matter was that she was freaking out. How could this have happened? Nobody remembering them? After waiting so long to come back. To see everybody and now…

"So what do we do?"

Sira blinked as she snapped out of her daze. Tori was trying to appear nonchalant, focusing on solving the problem instead. That's when Sira knew to be concerned. Tori would bitch and moan just like Sira over little problems. The only time she got serious was when she was really scared or really hurt.

"Sira?"

"Let's retrace our steps." Sira's mind scrambled to gather her thoughts. "If this really is a time reset then we need to do the exact same things we did the first time we came here."

Tori nodded. "Okay, yeah, good idea. We… went to a restaurant first, right?" Tori frowned. "Crud. Where was it?"

Sira turned to face the other side of the street. Her eyes widened. "Uh, right there." She pointed to a small restaurant across the street.

"That's… convient."

"Maybe the stupid molester is helping us after all."

Tori glared at her as they crossed the street. "You do realize the Argos could be punishing us for making fun of him."

Sira grinned evilly. "He knows better. If he crossed us, I'll summon a fire breathing dragon to take him out."

Tori slapped her hands over Sira's mouth. "Are you crazy? Don't imagine that. The last time we imagined a dragon it tried to kill us."

Sira shoved Tori's hands away. "That was before I understood our powers. I could totally control one now." Sira glanced up at the sky and sighed. It was still dreary and overcast. Nothing abnormal. "Guess our bad ass powers don't exist yet."

"Seriously? You were actually trying to summon one?"

Sira shrugged. "Just a thought experiment." Too bad, she couldn't summon the dragon. But one day… one day…

A bell chimed as they entered the restaurant. The Waiter, a black haired brown eyed boy, approached them.

"For two?"

Tori nodded. "Yes, please."

He led them to a circular booth. As they got settled, he took their drink orders and left.

"Crap."

Sira stiffened. "What?" Had something already gone wrong? Was there a demon around that she hadn't even noticed. She thought she had been on the right track retracing their steps.

"We don't have any money," Tori said as she nervously watched the waiter's retreating form.

Sira rolled her eyes. "Oh, that? It's fine. I got us covered." She pulled out some yen and placed it on the table. "I always keep some yen on me."

Tori narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Seriously?"

Sira shrugged. "I've been sucked into an alternate dimension once and was completely vulnerable. I'm not going to be caught with my pants down again." And, she had made sure of it. Not only had she started carrying Yen, she brushed up on her Japanese, and worked out daily. Despite the portal closing, she had always hoped. Just in case…

Tori nodded. "Make sense."

Sira grinned evilly.

Tori rolled her eyes. "That wasn't meant to be a pun."

"Sure," Sira peered over the the side of the booth. "In other news, it looks like we were right to retrace out steps."

Tori peered over the booth as well.

Sure enough, on the other side of the restaurant, the famed four were sitting haunched over the table discussing something.

Yusuke, with his traditional slicked back black hair, narrowed his black eyes as he smirked. It was probably something Kuwabara had said. The carrot top had his fists clinched and was grinding his teeth.

Kurama, the long red haired boy, next to him tried to calm the two down while Hiei, his black hair shooting toward the ceiling, was glaring at the table.

Sira snorted. "Hiei still looks like he wants to murder everyone."

Tori didn't comment.

Sira turned to see that Tori's expression had softened as she stared intently at Kurama. Sira leaned toward her ear and whispered. "Creeper."

Tori waved her off. "It's just weird, okay. They're just sitting there and we can't go up and talk to them like we normally do."

"We still could go up to them. Tell them what happened."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "That we're from another dimension and we had adventures with them that they don't remember because their world was reset."

"They could believe it. Weirder stuff has happened to them."

"That I was in a relationship with Kurama."

Sira shrugged. "Unlikely but still plausable."

"That you were dating Hiei."

"Okay, yeah. I was in the relationship and I still don't believe it."

Someone cleared their throat.

The girls turned around and saw the waiter with their drink orders. He eyed them suspiciously as he placed them on the table.

"Thanks," Tori said as she and Sira shrunk back into their seats.

"I'll be back for your order." The waiter cast them once last suspicious look before he left.

Sira turned to Tori. "We've got to do something."

Tori sipped her drink. "We need to follow exactly the same steps as last time, right? Then we need to catch Kuwabara on the way out."

"I guess, you're right." Sira sighed. "This sucks. We seriously have to go through everything again."

"It could be fun."

Sira glared at her. "You do remember what'll happen in a week."

Tori set her drink down and shivered. "Yeah, okay. I'm not looking forward to being bitten by a bat again."

"At least you just gotten bitten. I got dimension sickness."

Tori winced. "The bite hurt."

"This dimension tried to eat me." Sira still had nightmares about it. Cold feeling. The void reaching out to her. She shivered.

"But-"

Sira leaned forward. "It tried… to eat me."

Tori sighed. "Still it can't be that bad. You were out of it most of-"

Suddenly Sira let out a loud moan as she cradled her head in her hands. Several customers glanced warily in their direction.

Tori leaned toward her. "Can you not draw attention to us? They'll put us in a mental asylum."

Sira didn't hear her. How had she forgotten? With the reset, that would mean… "Haku doesn't exist yet." She turned to face Tori. "We need to make sure my baby exists again."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "You know Haku was Hiei's spirit beast, right?"

Sira nodded.

"And you know that in order for Haku to be created last time, he literally had to be ripped from Hiei's soul by a spirit eater."

"Uh-uh."

"And you know that was probably very very painful."

Sira clinched her fists. "Some sacrifices have to be made."

Tori sighed. "You are the worst girlfriend ever. Seriously, why were you two in a relationship to begin with?"

"I'm going to ignore that." Personally, Sira thought it wasn't a big deal. Haku was important. Even if Hiei didn't understand it. He could put up with the pain. Sira peaked over the booth again. Her eyes widened. "Crap!"

Tori popped up. "What's wrong?" She turned and saw that the table that previously held the Yu Yu Hakusho gang was empty. "Seriously, we missed them again?"

They sprang to their feet. "Look for Kuwabara," Sira said as she fished in her pockets and dropped a handful of yen on the table.

Tori scanned the crowd. She spotted a shock of orange hair outside the restaurant heading off to the right. "I've found him. I think."

She raced out of the restaurant with Sira trailing after him. "You think? I hope you know because I'm pretty sure I just overtipped that rude server."

Tori glanced to her right and saw Kuwabara heading into a nearby alley. "Come on," Tori said as she and Sira ran after him.

Rounding the corner, Kuwabara was already at the end of the alley. One more turn and they'd lose him.

"This is going to be awkward." Sira took a deep breath and yelled out. "Kuwabara!"

Kuwabara turned to see Tori and Sira approach them. He raised his eyebrows. "Can I help you?"

Tori panted as she caught her breath. "We needed talk to you about something important."

A pervy grin spread across his face. "Really?"

 _Oh, god. Don't be a perv._ Sira thought as she forced a grin. "Keep it in your pants. We're not talking about that."

Kuwarbara blushed while Tori glared at her. "Seriously Sira?"

"We both know that's how Kuwabara thinks."

Kuwabara took a step back. "Uh…"

"Look. This is going to sound totally weird but you know us." Tori said as she motioned between Sira and herself. Her words were rushed as if she feared that Kuwabara would run away before she finished. "We went on a crazy adventure with you, Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei were these psychos kept trying to kill us because we had the ability to stop them. We defeated them and were sent back to our world. A portal opened between our world and yours but then closed for six months."

Kuwabara had taken another step back but Tori hadn't noticed. "Then today we were transported back here by the Argos and it's like everything has reset."

"Wow, that's um… wow."

Sira could tell from the Kuwabara's expression and the way his eyes kept darting around that he thought they were batshit crazy.

Tori nudged Sira, her expression clearly reading: Help me.

"We can prove it. We know things. Things that we'd only know if we were your friends."

Tori lit up. "Like the fact that one of the first fights Uremeshi participated in when he came back from the dead was to help save your cat back from the guy possessed by the little creepy demon."

Kuwabara took another step back. "Not that I'm flattered, but that sounds a little stalkerish." He turned their back on them and began to walk off.

"Wait." Sira searched her memory. What had she said last time to convince him? "We know you're in love with Yukina."

Kuwabara stiffened.

"Sira…" Tori whispered.

Sira ignored her. "And that if you two ever got in a relationship and Hiei found out he would literally kill you."

Kuwabara relaxed as a strange calm rushed over him. He straightened up, his back still toward them. "If you know that, then that could only mean one thing."

Sira perked up. Kuwabara knew. He understood now.

"Sira," Tori whispered urgently.

Why was Tori scared? Sira didn't get it. It's what she had said last time. They were on track.

A rush of heat slapped her in the face as a bright orange light filled her vision. "What the hell?" She blinked as she took a step back. Her vision cleared and she suddenly saw that the orange light belonged to Kuwabara's spirit sword….which was pointed at both of them.

Kuwabara's eyes narrowed angrily. "If you know that, then you must be demons."

"Oh crud," Tori moaned.

Sira didn't hesitate. She grabbed Tori's hand and bolted. "Run like your ass is on fire."

"Hold still." Kuwabara yelled as he chased after them.

Sira wasn't paying attention. She was more focused on trying to get out of there… Well, on whatever the next turn was. Instead of taking them out on to the main street, it seemed they were going further and further into the back alleys.

Tori huffed as she glared at Sira. "Why did you tell him that?"

As they rounded another corner, Sira tried to get her breathing under control. "Because… it's what we said…last time."

"It didn't work last time either."

"Well, I didn't think he would attack us with his freaking sword," Sira yelled.

"Get back here!" Kuwabara yelled. He was gaining ground.

Tori and Sira looked back at him. "No!" They both yelled.

Tori turned back to Sira. "This is ridiculous. There's got to be something we can-"

She was cut off when both girls ran into something soft and sticky.

Tori winced as she shook off the slime. "What the heck did we just run into?"

Sira shivered and shook like a dog as she tried to get the slime off. "Get it off. Get it off."

"Huh?" A deep booming voice said in front of them.

Both girls looked up to see a giant octopus staring down at them. He seemed confused.

A rush of recognition raced through Sira. She grinned as she waved at him. "Octopus Demon!"

Tori clasped her hands in delight. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

The Octopus Demon looked creeped out as he slithered backwards slightly.

Sira frowned. "Wait. Where are you going? Aren't you going to attack us?"

The Octopus Demon curled his tentacles underneath him as if he was afraid the girls would try to touch them. "Me not so sure. Me weirded out when food is happy to see me."

Sira shook her head. "No, you don't understand. This is perfect. When Kuwabara sees you are attacking us, he'll realize we're just like normal girls and save us like last time."

Tori nodded as she glanced behind her. The color drained from her face. "Uh, Sira?"

Sira wasn't listening. She could handle this. This was just like last time. "We're on track. Everything's going to be okay."

"Sira?"

The Octopus Demon held out one tentacle in protest. "Me no like this idea."

Sira smirked. "Well, too bad."

"Sira!"

Sira turned to Tori. She was surprised to see how pale Tori was. "What's wrong?"

Tori pointed behind them. "Kuwabara didn't follow us."

Sira turned and looked behind them. Sure enough, Kuwabara was nowhere in sight. "What the hell Kuwabara?"

The Octopus Demon cleared his throat behind them. Both the girls slowly turned around. Sira grinned sheepishly. "So, how about we laugh this off and forget it ever happen?"

The Octopus Demon unfurled his tentacles. "Me changed me mind. Me going to eat you now."

"Crap." Tori whispered.

"Run again?"

Tori nodded. "Run again."

"Hey!" The Octopus Demon shouted as the girls took off running deeper into the alleys.

 _This sucks._ Sira thought as she and Tori rounded the corner. She could practically feel the Octopus Demon's tentacles swiping at her legs.

"Why can't we have it easy." Tori moaned. "Why does nobody believe us and stupid Octopus Demons chase us."

Sira yelped as the Octopus demon tried to trip her. She stumbled but quickly regained her balance as she raced down the alley. Why weren't their powers working? What she wouldn't give to have a gun, a sword…a fire breathing dragon. "I swear if I had my powers I would totaling go GOT on his ass."

"Just give it up, Sira. It's never going to happen."

Both girls skidded to a stop barely avoiding crashing into the concrete wall in front of them. Their strong desire to escape had made them completely oblivious to the fact that they ran into a dead end.

Both girls turned to see the Octopus Demon slowly approaching them. Two of if tentacles were poised like snakes ready to strike. "Me going to eat well tonight."

"We suck at being cool, don't we?" Tori asked as she pushed herself against the wall.

Sira shrugged. She was about to be eaten by sushi. She would have found this thought amusing if she wasn't in shock over the whole situation. "At least we made it further than last time."

"Time to die," The Octopus demon said as drool dribbled from his mouth.

Sira and Tori closed their eyes and braced themselves.

The sound of a gunshot rang through the air.

Sira and Tori opened their eyes and looked up to see a giant smoking hole in the middle of the Octopus Demon's forehead. He let out a groan as he fell. He disappeared in a flash of light before he hit the ground.

"I can't believe you thought they were demons."

Sira perked up. She recognized that voice. From Tori's expression, she could tell she did too.

Standing a few feet away from them was Yusuke Uremeshi. His hand was in the spirit gun position and his index finger was still smoking.

He blew off the smoke and turned to face the bewildered Kuwabara. Yusuke smirked. "I mean they can't even take out a low level demon."

Sira glared at him. "Hey."

"Seriously," Yusuke said, "you should get your eyes checked."

Kuwabara clinched his fists. "That's it. You're gonna get it." He swung his fist at Yusuke who easily dodged it. "Hold still."

"Not a chance," Yusuke said as he proceeded to slug him.

"Great," Sira sighed. "They've completely forgotten about us."

The fight had turned into an all out brawl as Yusuke and Kuwabara swatted at each other.

Tori looked disgusted. "Stupid boys."

"Well, we better get their attention before it's too late." Sira frowned. What would make them listen? What would give them the best chance?

"Koenma!" Tori shouted.

Kuwabara and Yusuke stopped mid fight as they turned to look at them.

Tori let out a deep breath. "Take us to Koenma."

* * *

L.A.: And they're finally reunited, sort of.

Amu: Your characters are really useless, aren't they?

L.A.: Fine! Have the pie. (gives pie)

Amu: (eats pie) I mean your characters are amazing!

L.A.: I don't know whether I should be happy or sad my muse is so easily bribed.

Amu: I'm ignoring that remark.

L.A.: Anywho you know what to do. Read and REVIEW!


	3. Who Knew Offices Were So Dangerous

Who Knew Office Life was Dangerous and Mysterious

* * *

L.A.: Chapter 3 is here!

Amu: To bring you good cheer!

L.A.: You rhymed.

Amu: I know (eye twitch) Blame it on the season.

L.A.: Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Review Responses: I only got one review =(

 **Angel of Randomosity:** Thanks for the review! Of course it's going to get a lot worse. They never get it easy. Also, why did you have to give Amu so many pies? She was in a sugar coma all weekend. It was a nightmare. (Amu: No it wasn't. It was amazing!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, we would be in alternate dimension… unless this is the alternate one and the other is the true one…My brain hurts.

* * *

Koenma's offices were just as busy as the first time they arrived. Ogres of different colors and sizes rushed around shouting out orders in a panic and chaotic fashion.

 _At least something's still normal._ Tori thought. She was roughly shoved from behind. "Hey!" Turning, she saw an ogre rush by. He didn't even acknowledge her presence.

Sira snickered behind her. "You got sideswiped again."

Tori glared at her. "Ha. Ha."

Sira yelped as a different ogre sideswiped her. "Hey."

Tori smirked. "Karma's a bitch."

Yusuke and Kuwabara glanced at them worriedly.

"Yusuke, Kuwabara, why are you two just standing there?"

Both girls turned to see Botan, the blue haired blue eyed reaper of the underworld, approaching them.

"Botan!" Both girls shouted excitedly.

Botan paused and frowned at them. "Are these the girls?"

Sira sighed. "Don't tell me you don't know who we are either."

Botan gives an apologetic smile. "No idea, sorry."

Tori felt herself deflate. Even Botan didn't know who they were. How were they ever going to pull this off?

Botan motioned behind her. "Koenma's waiting for you."

Yusuke and Kuwabara said their goodbyes while Tori and Sira followed Botan.

Koenma, in toddler form, sat behind his desk hunched over papers when they entered. He looked up and motioned Botan away. "Thanks Botan. That will be all for now."

Botan bowed and closed the door behind her.

Tori and Sira stood awkwardly as they eyed Koenma warily. How were they supposed to act? They didn't have the familiarity they once had.

Koenma motioned to the two seats in front of his desk. "Sit."

Meekly, the two girls took their seats.

"Lord Koenma-" Tori began.

"Before you ask, I do not know you."

Sira and Tori deflated. "Seriously?" Sira groaned.

Koenma waved it off. "That's not the issue though." He leaned forward. "I've been caught up on your current situation but there are still some info lacking." Leaning on his elbows, he clasped his hands in front of his face. "Tell me everything's that's happen up till now."

Taking turns, the girls recounted the story. A sense of nostalgia rushed through Tori as she thought back. It was a crazy adventure, but it had become more than important for them, it was a part of them. She felt a shiver go up her spine. She was still in shock over the whole situation but the realization that they may not have what they once had was starting to sink in. Her stomach turned at the thought.

"…and it took six months since the portal close for us to get another spam email to get back here," Sira finished.

Koenma was expressionless as he blinked slowly. "Well that was…interesting."

Tori shrugged. "What can we say? We're interesting girls."

Sira nodded. "So, true."

"But it does explain a couple of peculiarities that I've noticed."

Tori frowned. "Pecularities?"

Koenma nodded. "I've had my suspicions for a couple of days but it appears our entire dimension has been reset."

Sira crossed her arms. "We figured, seeing as how everyone was doing the same thing when we arrived."

"It makes sense. Most people wouldn't be aware of the reset. If I wasn't me," there's a hint of pride in Koenma's voice. "I wouldn't be aware of its existence."

"But how is that even possible?" Tori asked. "I mean someone has the power to reset dimension?" It was a scary thought. Who would have the power to even effect Koenma?

Koenma's eyes narrowed. "That's what concerns me. Reseting a dimension is no easy feat. It's ten times harder if you wish to make those who reside in it unaware."

"But you're still aware," Sira said.

"I am but not in the sense you think. It was more like a tug, a feeling that something isn't right." Koenma sighed. "I wasn't even sure I believed it until you two showed up."

Tori bit the inside of her cheek. "Why would someone do that?"

Koenma's expression darkened. "That is the question." He sat back in his chair and his expression lightened up. "But I do think they weren't expecting you."

Sira snorted. "A fat lot of good that does. We can't do anything." She sat up. "If I could just-"

"Let it go." Tori sighed. "Just let it go."

Koenma looked amused but he didn't comment. "Still. You weren't affected by the reboot. Because you are outside of our dimension, you may be able to help us figure out who is do this."

Tori highly doubted it. If the incident with the Octopus Demon proved anything it was that they were still just as useless as they were before. "How?"

"By repeating the same events that occurred last time."

Sira rolled her eyes. "That sounds so… anti-climatic."

"It'll help us differentiate between what was supposed to happen and what the perpetrator wants to happen. It could give us a clue as to who the person is and what their motives are."

"Oh Joy." Tori was not looking forward to it. Not at all.

"But keep this from the others," Koenma said. "They only know that you were once friends, they've forgotten. I would like to leave it that way."

Sira and Tori traded worried glances.

"Hide it from them?"

Sira crossed her arms. "But why?"

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in, Botan." Koenma called out. He leaned toward them. "Remember what I said," he said quietly.

Tori raised an eyebrow. They were even hiding it from Botan? What was Koenma up to?

Botan entered followed by the Yu Yu gang. "I brought them just like you requested."

Koenma nodded. "Good." He motioned to Tori and Sira. "Do any of you know these girls?"

Kuwabara nodded. "Yeah, we saw the earlier."

Yusuke smirked. "No shit, Sherlock. He's meaning before that."

Kuwabara glared at him. "Hey!'

Tori snuck a glance at Kurama. He was studying them with his arms crossed. With an apologetic smile, he shook his head. "I'm afraid I have no recollection."

She could feel the tears coming. She rapidly blinked them away. There was no way she was going to let them see her cry. She was not a sniveling damsel in distress.

Everyone turned to Hiei. He glared. "I have no idea." He pointed to Sira. "But I do have an urge to rip her limb from limb."

Sira glared back at him. "Why couldn't you be erased instead of Haku?" Sira said under her breath.

Tori roughly elbowed her.

Yusuke shrugged. "I just don't see how any of us would forget so easily."

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Koenma said as he shuffled some papers. Tori wondered if he did it so he looked more professional. "In the mean time, I want them under your protection." He turned to Tori and Sira. "Do you have a place to stay?"

Tori and Sira shook their heads. "No, last time we stayed at Kuwabara's."

Tori cast Kuwabara a side long glance. "Though since Kuwabara like to skewer pour innocent girls, I don't know if I want to stay there."

Yusuke snickered.

Kuwabara's face reddened. "Aw, come on. It was an easy mistake."

Botan shook her head sadly. "Honestly, Kuwabara. You should be ashamed."

"Not you, too."

Koenma frowned. "Then I guess we could make other arrangements."

"No!" Kuwabara clapped his hands in front of him in a begging gesture. "Please, stay at my house so I can make it up to you."

Sira eyed him suspiciously. "You won't try to go Psycho on us while were trying to sleep?"

Tori raised an eyebrow. "That was in the shower."

"My question is still valid."

Kuwabara eyed them warily. "No?"

Sira nodded. "I guess then it's fine." She held her finger up. "But if I hear Psycho music going on, I outta there."

Judging by Kuwabara's expression, Tori guessed he was wondering what he got himself into.

"Excellent." Koenma clasped his hands together. "Then we'll get you set up with false identities and credit cards. You'll keep regular lives until we can figure out what to do next."

"Oh, we-" Tori was cut off when Sira stomped on her foot. She glared at her as her foot smarted.

Sira ignored her. "Thank you. We appreciate it."

Koenma nodded as he returned to his paperwork. "Until then."

He was dismissing him, but Tori wished he would give them more time. She had so many questions. So few answers.

Botan beamed at them. "Follow me and we'll get you set up and off to Kuwabara's."

Kuwabara still looked queasy at the thought. Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei seemingly having lost interest said their goodbyes and left.

Tori felt a pang of sadness when Kurama didn't give her a second glance, but she quickly buried it, along with her other worries. She knew it would come back to bite her eventually. She dreaded the moment it did.

If Sira was affected by Hiei's lack of affection, she didn't show it. She actually seemed quite happy as they followed Botan down a long corridor.

A brief pinch of pain in her foot snapped Tori back to reality. "That hurt by the way."

Sira winced. "Yeah, sorry about that but you were about to spill the beans."

"That we have some money already?"

Sira nodded. "Yeah."

Why?"

Sira looked at her as if she was crazy. "You remember last time. We could only use the credit cards for emergencies. This extra money we have is for fun."

Tori grinned. "Smart thinking."

"Naturally."

Botan cleared her throat.

They looked up to see that Botan was standing at the end of the hallway waiting for them. Tori hadn't even realized they had stopped walking. "Sorry, coming."

Sira bobbed next to her as they walked. "I can't wait to go to Kuwabara's."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "What about the Psycho fear.?"

Sira shrugged. "I was just messing with him. You know what we should do first when we get there?"

An evil grin crossed Tori's face. "Oh I know exactly what we're going to do."

* * *

A cigarette dangled from Shizuru's mouth as she watched two grown ass girls repeatedly sock sliding down the hallway between rooms.

 _I'm going to kill him,_ she thought as the cigarette finally fell from her mouth and into the plate in front of her.

* * *

LA.: And that's it for Chapter 3.

Amu: Poor Shizuru. She has no idea what has been released into her home.

L.A.: Anywho, if you can, please REVIEW! It lets me know people are still interested.

Amu: And it feeds us poor muses.

L.A.: I thought pie was what fed you.

Amu: …that too…

L.A.: I'm going to ignore that. I'll see everyone in the next chapter!


	4. In Which Nothing Happens…Which is a Bad

In Which Nothing Happens…Which is a Bad Thing

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L.A.: I know. I'm late.

Amu: Fail.

L.A.: Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Review Replies:

 **Angel of Randomosity:** Thanks for the review! Yes, poor Shizuru. She'll have to put up with so much. I don't know if Hiei remembers or if he's just annoyed with Sira. Either way, it'll be entertaining.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, I would totally not feel bad when I have to take off for the holidays.

* * *

Sira stared blankly at the ceiling. The TV was playing softly in the background and Tori was fast asleep beside her. She noted all of this with mild interest as she continued to stare at the ceiling.

Why was she staring at the ceiling? Because she was bored out of her freaking mind. Two days they had been locked up at Kuwabara's. Once the novelty of sock sliding, junk food eating, and binge watching had worn off, the boredom of seclusion had set in.

She could write, but no motivation was powerful enough to inspire her to lift the pen. So, now she was staring at the ceiling. With her gaze unfocused, it would shift and move as if it were composed of waves.

She blinked a couple of times as she tore her gaze from the ceiling. "I'm so bored!" She wailed.

Tori jumped nearly falling of the sofa. "Was that really necessary?"

Sira nodded. "I'm staring at the ceiling trying to make it move in my mind. What do you think?"

Tori yawned. "Yeah, okay. I see you're point."

"How are you not bored?"

"I am," Tori stretched, her back giving a satisfying pop. "I'm just hibernating through it."

Sira jumped to her feet. "That's it. We're getting out of here."

Tori eyed her skeptically. "And how are we going to do that? Koenma gave us explicit orders to stay put."

"Koenma can kiss my ass. I'm tired of waiting. Let's get this show on the road."

Tori eyed the ceiling warily. "You do realize one day, Koenma's probably going to strike us down with lightning or something."

"Probably," Sira slumped back down on the sofa. "but he said himself that we're supposed to be retracing the steps we first took. How can we do that if we're trapped here?"

Before Tori could comment, the sound of the front door opening interrupted them. They looked up to see Kuwabara and Yusuke entering. They both looked like they were in foul moods.

"Something the matter?" Tori asked.

"Just lost track of a stupid low level demon." Yusuke gave Kuwabara a pointed look.

Kuwabara glared back. "Hey, that wasn't my fault."

"You wanted to see the cat hiding behind the trash."

"But he was mewing," Kuwabara's eyes widened as a warm smile spread across his face. "How can you resist that?"

Yusuke stared at him as if he was an idiot.

Sira had forgotten how much she had missed their squabbling. It was just like old times… well, almost. Besides Shizuru, Yusuke and Kuwabara were the only ones to come see them. Sira knew Tori was disappointed that Kurama wasn't here. She had tried everything she could think of to make her feel better.

Because Sira was fine. She wasn't upset that Hiei wasn't here. Oh no, she didn't care about the jerk. Not one bit.

Sira's eye twitched. "I need to get out of here."

Tori frowned at her.

Sira stood up. "Okay. That's it. You're taking us to the mall."

Tori lit up. "That's a great idea. Koenma can't be mad if you go with us."

Yusuke glared at us. "No. I'm not going to carry your shopping bags."

Sira blinked innocently. "You know what happens to two bored girls? We need outlets. We'll do makeovers…" A crazy smile crossed her face. "…on you."

Yusuke's hand sparked. "I will shoot you with my spirit gun."

Tori shook her head. "No you won't. Koenma will kill you." She shared an evil grin with Sira.

Best friends. They always back you on your evil plots.

Sira turned back to Kuwabara and Yusuke. "So what'll it be? Take us to the mall or," her grin widened, "we'll make you the prettiest princesses of the ball."

Kuwabara gulped loudly as Yusuke glared.

* * *

The mall was packed with Christmas shoppers. Tori and Sira happily navigated through the crowd while Kuwabara and Yusuke followed them like two whipped puppies.

"It's so magical," Tori breathed out. "I love Christmas! The lights! The Music!"

Sira shook her head. "But it's too early. I don't want to start celebrating until November."

Tori stared at her as if she's an idiot. "You do realize it's Christmas here, right?"

"I know," Sira sighed. "My body clock is so messed up right now."

Yusuke looked longingly at the arcade nearby. "It's so close."

Kuwabara sighed. "It's calling to us."

Sira rolled her eyes while Tori suppressed a giggle. "Okay, fine, go. We'll meet you in an ho-"

They were gone before Sira finished her sentence. "You know. I find it a little insulting that they don't want to spend time with us."

Tori shrugged. "They're boys. Are you really that surprised?" Tori glanced around the mall. "So, where are we going?"

Sira crossed her arms. "To pick out Christmas presents for everyone of course."

Tori frowned. "But I thought you didn't want to be in the Christmas spirit?"

Sira sighed. She didn't, but she didn't have much of a choice. If they wanted everything to go back to normal… "It's what we did last time."

"So, we have to get the same presents too? That doesn't sound like fun."

"Maybe for you," Sira grinned evilly. "But I'm going to have fun."

"You're going to get Hiei the stress reliever doll again, aren't you?"

Sira nodded. "Paying for the stress reliever doll again: annoying. Seeing Hiei's face when he receives it: priceless."

Tori's expression softened. "You really miss him, don't you?"

Sira stiffened. Why did Tori keep bringing it up? She didn't miss Hiei. It wasn't like they were in love to begin with. Infatuated maybe, but not love. Infatuation was easy to get over. If it was love…

Sira shook her head. "No. I'm doing this all for Haku. He's the one I miss."

Tori smirked. "You do know that Haku is a part of Hiei, right?"

"So?"

"So, if you miss Haku then you're missing Hiei as well."

Sira's face turned beet red. "Stop pointing out I'm a hypocrite." She stormed off with Tori calling after her.

"Wait, I'm sorry."

But, Sira wasn't listening. She'd show Tori. She'd show them all. Hiei did not matter to her. Not in the slightest.

* * *

Sira sighed loudly as she waited outside the store. Her arms were ladened with shopping bags and fatigue was starting to creep through her limbs.

 _Ugh, where is she?_

Tori was still shopping. Sira didn't understand why it was taking her so long. They were getting the same exact presents they got last time. It couldn't be that hard.

Readjusting her hold on her bags, Sira let her gaze wander through the passing crowd. People continued along their way. She knew Koenma had said that no one was aware of reset. They were going about their lives oblivious to the fact that they've done it all before.

But what if like Tori and Sira, there was someone out here who hadn't been affected? Sira squinted at the people. Like maybe that little girl carrying a red balloon, that elderly man hobbling with a cane, or Ash Ketchum.

 _Wait, what?_

Sira did a double take. For a moment, a boy had looked like Ketchum. The same outfit all the way down to the hat. But now, she saw the differences. The hat was black and the vest was blue.

 _I need to stop imagining things._ Still, there was something nagging at the back of her mind. It was like she was missing something.

She nearly jumped when she felt a hand tap her shoulder.

"Geez, chill. It's just me."

Sira turned to see Tori, her arms ladened with bags as well, standing before her. Tori frowned. "Something wrong?"

Sira shook her head. "Nothing. Let's just find the others."

* * *

Sira couldn't tell if Yusuke and Kuwabara were happy to leave or pissed that they didn't get to finish their games. Both had barely spoken a word as they stomped out of the arcade.

 _And they say girls are fickle,_ Sira thought as she suppressed a snicker. They were heading out to the parking garage when Sira felt a cold sweaty hand grab her arm.

Sira turned to face Tori. "You okay?"

Tori was pale and sweaty. She shook her head. "No."

Sira frowned. "What's wrong?"

Tori licked her lips nervously. "It's the parking garage. You remembered what happened last time we were here."

Sira's eyes widened. She had forgotten. The parking garage was where the makai bats were. The Makai bats that bite Tori.

Sira let out a shaky breath. "You ready?"

Tori shook her head emphatically. "I can't do it, Sira. I just can't."

Sira placed a hand on each of Tori's shoulders. "You can do this. We have to fix this world. Don't you want to be with Kurama again?"

Tori stared at her, deadpanned. "Yes, but my logical self preservation self says that being bitten by a bat for a boy is the dumbest idea ever."

Sira winces. "True, but we are trying to save the world."

Tori raised by an eyebrow. "By being bitten by a demon bat?"

Sira shrugged. "No one said saving the world was easy." Sira looped her arm through Tori's. "Okay. On the count of three we bust through the doors and brace for impact."

Tori closed her eyes. "I don't think I can move."

"3."

"Huh?" Before Tori could react, Sira shoved her through the door.

Sira and Tori squeezed their eyes shut as they prepared for the onslot of bats.

"What are you doing?"

Sira pried her eyes open.

Yusuke and Kuwabara were staring at them as if they had gone crazy.

Sira pointed to the ceiling. "But there are…" Looking up, the ceiling of the parking deck was empty. Not a bat in sight.

Tori blinked slowly, confused. "Huh. That wasn't what I expected."

Kuwabara frowned. "It's a ceiling. What's it supposed to look like?"

Sira snapped out of her stupor. "Never mind. Let's go."

Yusuke shrugged while Kuwabara gave them a worried glance before following. Sira and Tori traded concerned glances.

 _If the bats, aren't here,_ Sira thought. _What else has changed?_

* * *

The figure watched from the shadows as the two girls and boys walked away. His golden eyes glowed with intrigue.

"Hmm, this is an interesting development." Though his tone was filled with amusement, there was a hint of venom there too.

He would keep this quiet for now. No need to tell the others yet. If his plans fell into place, those girls could prove useful to him after all.

* * *

"What did we do wrong?" Sira moaned as she flopped onto her bed.

Tori sat on the edge of the bed, her expression a mixture of relief or concern. "I don't know whether to be happy I didn't get bitten or sad that it's not working out."

Sira rubbed her head. "I don't get it. We did everything right. Exactly as we did last time…" She sat up and looked at Tori. "Right?"

Tori shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe we peed in wrong toilet and that messed it up. You know the Butterfly Effect?"

Sira stared at her in disbelief. "You're telling me the fate of the world is screwed because we peed in the wrong toilet?"

Tori shrugged. "I don't know. The Butterfly Effect is complicated."

Sira crossed her arms. "Stupid Butterflies. This is why I like dragonflies better."

Tori's eyes widened. "Wait a minute, since I didn't get bitten, does that means I'll get dimension sickness?"

Sira shrugged. "Could be."

Tori's face paled. "Oh, no."

Sira shrugged. "It's not that bad."

"I don't want to be erased," Tori moaned. "It sounds terrible."

Sira glared at her. "You told me to suck it up. That it wasn't bad."

Tori grinned sheepishly. "That was when I thought it wasn't going to happen to me."

Sira flopped back on the bed with Tori soon following. All of this was too confusing for Sira. She sighed. "It doesn't make sense."

Tori nodded. "I know."

Sira shook her head. "I mean just in general. Everything seems harder. Getting the octopus demon to attack us."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "That's a bad thing?"

"Trying to get the Yu Yu Gang to hang out with us."

"They always thought we were weird."

"And nothing is happening." Sira frowned. "I mean by now, we were going into Makai after you got kidnapped."

Tori shivered. "Don't remind me."

"It just doesn't make sense. Stuff should be happening to us. We should be further along and oh my god this isn't are story."

Sira had sat up at the last part.

Tori frowned at her. "Come again?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense. If we aren't the main characters then stuff wouldn't be happening to us."

Tori sat up. "So we're this world's side chick? I don't think I'm okay with that."

"Me neither."

"But then why did we get the email? What was it for?"

Sira frowned. She had been wondering that. If they weren't the main characters then why were they summoned here?

"Perhaps I could answer that question for you." A familiar muffled voice said.

They quickly turned to the window. Outside on the window sill sat a little silver fox. Its silver eyes glowed in the dark. "So please open the window, you two."

* * *

Amu: The stupid fox is back. Why is the stupid fox back?

LA.: So, Christmas is next week and I may not be able to post a chapter. To make things worse, this wacky schedule will probably continue until after New Years.

Amu: Yay Holiday season!

L.A.: Why are you happy?

Amu: (looks at L.A. like she's an idiot) Because holidays mean baking which means…

L.A: Pie. You know this joke's getting old.

Amu: Pie will never get old. Unless there's mold…then maybe not eat it.

L.A.: Anywho, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	5. Riddles and Christmas Trees

Riddles and Christmas Trees

* * *

L.A.: Finally back.

Amu: Woohoo!

L.A.: The holidays are over and starting next week I should be back to updating on Mondays again.

Amu: Yay for boring old routines!

L.A.: Enjoy the chapter!

Review Replies:

 **Darkness in shadowland** : Thanks for the review! Glad you came right over. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, life would be so much more entertaining.

* * *

"It's the creepy fox!" Sira yelped as she pointed an accusing finger at Akira.

Tori ignored her as she opened the window. "Akira, come in." Finally, someone who existed in the previous timeline. Someone who recognized them. Remembered everything that had happened. She was almost giddy with happiness.

Akira hopped on to the bed. "I'm here to help you as you can plainly see," he narrowed his eyes at Sira. "I do wish you would quit calling me creepy."

Sira crossed her arms. "I will when you stop rhyming like that."

Tori sat down on the bed. "Akira, what's going on? Why did the timeline reset? Why isn't it proceeding the way it did before?"

"And it better not be because we peed in the wrong toilets," Sira murmured.

Akira swished his tail. "My, you have questions by the ton. Give me a moment to answer them one by one." Akira sighed. "As for your first question, we have a guess. It seems someone from your world has made this mess."

Tori frowned. "Our world?" Who on earth could that be? Sure, Alexis had come with them previously, but as far as she knew Alexis wanted nothing to do with Yu Yu world after her previous experience. "How can one person from our world cause all this?"

Akira studied his paws. "As you remember, your powers were able to create your desires. And it seems that this person's wish never tires."

"You're telling me that while we've lost our powers that someone out there has the ability to summon fire breathing dragon on a whim?"

"I swear, Sira, if you mention the fire breathing dragon one more time, I will disown you as a friend."

Sira rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. I was just making a point."

Akira nodded. "It would seem that is the case. Which makes it a problem that must be solved post haste."

Tori turned back to Akira. "Then what are we supposed to do? We don't have our powers."

Akira cocked his head. "Yes, it would seems you have lost a portion of yourself. Without it, neither of you will be much help."

Sira glared. "Are you speaking riddles again? You know how much I hate riddles."

Tori frowned. "Lost something? What do you mean?"

Akira smirked. "This is for you to discover, but for now I suggest you take cover."

"You mean hide?" Sira asked as Akira hopped on the windowsill. "But that sounds boring."

"For now, it's safer to stay here. I'll let you know when the cost is clear." With a swish of his tail, the window opened and Akira bounded out. Sira and Tori raced to the window, but he was already gone.

"I wonder what he means," Tori said with a sigh.

Sira frowned. "The bigger question is why did he ask us to open the window when he can obviously use his weird powers to do it himself."

Tori ignored her as she unconsciously grabbed the comforter beneath her. Why had Akira said they had lost something? And, if the strange cold shiver that ran up her spine was any indication, why did she feel it was something extremely important?

* * *

"We need a Christmas tree," Sira moaned.

Tori stirred from her place on the sofa. They had been watching a marathon of a reality show about a family who wanted to live in a swamp. Yusuke and Kuwabara had actually joined them in watching the show.

While the others were deeply invested in the show, Tori had gone into a stupor, her mind drifting back to the previous day. She blinked a couple of times to bring her back to reality. "I'm sorry, what?"

Sira eyed her suspiciously as if Tori had betrayed her for not paying attention. "A Christmas tree. It's necessary for Christmas cheer."

"Seriously?" Yusuke groaned.

Kuwabara shivered. "It's cold outside."

"And I thought you weren't in the Christmas mood anyway."

Sira ignored Tori's dig. "Hence why we need a tree." She stood up. "Come on there's got to be tree lot near by."

"There is-" Kuwabara was cut off when Yusuke elbowed him in the stomach.

Yusuke glared at him. "…but it's too cold."

Sira stared at them with a deadpanned expression. "Tori, get the makeup."

Tori shrugged as she stood up. She was bored anyway. Maybe this would be fun. "If you say so."

Kuwabara gave Yusuke a worried look.

"Okay, fine," Yusuke groaned. "Just let me get my coat." Yusuke continued to grumble under his breath as he and Kuwabara went and got their coats.

Tori gave Sira a look.

"What?"

Tori crossed her arms. "You know what. Akira specifically said we were supposed to lie low for now until they could figure out what is going on."

"It's a Christmas tree," Sira said. She tried to appear innocent but Tori knew better. Sira never was good at sitting still.

"You're hoping we get attacked."

Sira tried to appear shocked but it was obvious that she was faking. "Me? Never. I just can't stay house bound that's all."

Tori shook her head. "There is seriously something wrong with you."

Sira rolled her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with me I'm awesome. That's all."

"Are we going or not?" Yusuke yelled. He and Kuwabara were standing impatiently by the door. Tori got the feeling that they were psyching themselves up for the cold.

Sira grinned. "Sure, let us get our jackets." She practically sang the last part as she skipped over to her jacket.

Tori slowly followed her shaking her head. Yeah, there was something definitely weird about her best friend.

The Christmas Tree lot was only a ten minute walk from Kuwabara's. They were shivering by the time they arrived, but Tori didn't mind. It was the kind of cold that turned your cheeks rosy and invigorated you.

Luckily for the others, there was a hot chocolate stand nearby. Purchasing their hot chocolates, they drank them slowly as they pursued the trees.

"This is the best," Sira said as took a sip of her hot chocolate. "Nothing puts you into the Christmas spirit like hot chocolate and tree shopping."

"If you say so," Yusuke grumbled. Tori noticed he didn't have as much bitterness in his voice as before.

 _Probably doesn't want to admit he's enjoying himself,_ Tori thought smugly.

Kuwabara scanned the trees. "It can't be too big. We have to carry it back."

Sira glared at him. "You're telling me that you two beat up S-Class demons all the time but you can't carry a little tree?"

"We don't have to carry those demons," Yusuke smirked. "Of course we can get a bigger one if you help."

"Pass," Sira linked arms with Tori. "Come on, help me find one."

Tori sipped her hot chocolate. "Whatever you say." She'd probably do anything now that she was under the spell of the hot chocolate.

As Tori had guessed, Sira was as picky about her trees as she was about everything else. They were either too big, too small, not full enough, etc. etc.

The hot chocolate bliss was starting to wear off and Tori thought the boys were about to declare mutiny when Sira suddenly stopped short.

"That's it! We've found it."

Tori felt her breath catch in her throat. It was the perfect tree, the type you'd find in cartoons. It was a healthy green, full, and perfect shape.

Kuwabara whistled. "That is a nice tree."

"So does that mean we can finally leave?" Yusuke asked as he tried to stamp the cold away with his feet.

"Try to show a little enthusiasm," Tori smirked.

"It's a Christmas tree after all," Kuwabara added.

Yusuke groaned. "Not you, too." He motioned for Kuwabara to follow him. "Come on, let's go pay for Brutus and get the hell out of here."

Kuwabara shrugged as he followed him. Tori was about to follow when Sira reached out and grabbed her shoulder "What?"

Sira looked as pale as a sheet. "Yusuke called the tree Brutus."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "So? You should be happy your brainwashing is finally paying off."

Sira shook her head. "You don't understand. Since we've got back here, I've never once mentioned that I name my Christmas Trees, Brutus."

Tori frowned as she tried to rack her brain. Her eyes widened as she realized she couldn't recall a time that Sira did say it. "You're right."

Sira crossed her arms. "So, how did Yusuke know what to call it?"

Tori frowned. Koenma had said that memories never really disappear. Was it possible that somehow, subconsciously, they were coming back.

Tori couldn't help the hop in her step as she followed Sira to pay for the Christmas Tree.

* * *

L.A.: Just incase you forgot, in Pencils and Paintbrushes, Sira refers to Christmas trees as Brutus because of a Christmas cartoon named Noel. It traumatized her. It may be based on a true story.

Amu: So short.

L.A.: I know. Hopefully, I'll have a longer one out next week. Anywho, you know what to do. Read and REVIEW!


	6. The Rare Moment Regifting is Good

The Rare Moment Regifting is Good

* * *

L.A.: See. I told you I'd get back on schedule.

Amu: (pats L.A.'s head) I'm so proud of you. You deserve pie.

L.A.: I don't like pie.

Amu: (is shocked) That... can't... be... true.

L.A.: Anywho, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Review Replies:

 **Darkness in shadowland** : Thanks for the review! That is so cool that you name your mini tree Brutus!

 **Angel of Randomosity** : Thanks for the reviews! Don't celebrate too soon. We're only just getting starting (evil laugh).

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I can't think of anything witty to say today. I'm tired. I'll just leave it like that.

* * *

Seriously, she was the best at decorating Christmas trees. It was one of the few times Sira actually had patience to do something. She loved to sip apple cider while carefully weaving the lights in the branches and placing ornaments in the right spot.

It was an art form, really. Almost as great as writing. Sira frowned as she paused with an ornament dangling from her finger. She really should write. Ever since she got here, she had been procrastinating. Maybe she would buy a pencil and notebook the next time she was out. Do some free writing.

"Does it really take that much concentration to place one ornament."

Sira turned to see Tori, her arms ladened with presents, standing before her. Sira wrinkled her nose in displeasure. "You just don't understand my method."

"It's placing ornaments on trees," Tori started placing presents under the tree. "It's not that hard."

Sira gasped. "Blasphemy!"

Tori rolled her eyes. "If you say so." Her hand lingered over the last present.

Sira peered at the name. It was Kurama's present from Tori. Sira smiled at Tori. "He's going to like it."

Tori shrugged. "He might not. We were closer last time. We had a whole discussion about Dostoevsky, but now…"

"Yusuke remembered Brutus. Anything is possible." Of course Sira left out the part where she had grilled Yusuke about his knowledge of Brutus. He was so certain that she had said it earlier that day that Sira was beginning to doubt herself. Especially since no one else had been able to recall anything.

Tori set the present down as she stood up. "We'll see."

Sira hated to see Tori like this. The poor girl overthought things a lot more than Sira ever did. Sira grinned evilly. "Want me to sing my beautiful rendition of Christmas tree to make you feel better?"

Tori raised an eyebrow. "How does that make me feel better? That sounds like torture."

"Hey," Sira crossed her arms. "My voice is beautiful. People would come from miles around to hear it."

"Our high school music teacher said you were tone deaf."

Sira pursed her lips. "No, she said I had a unique way of singing."

"She thought you were joking because it was so bad. Like she couldn't believe how tone deaf you were."

"Meanie. You better be glad I have a big ego."

The sound of the door opening and closing startled them. Kuwabara entered with Yuskuke and Kurama in tow. Where Shiziru was, Sira had no idea. Sira had the distinct feeling she was avoiding them.

Glancing at Tori, Sira noticed she had perked up a bit. _Poor Tori,_ Sira thought, _she's as obvious as an open book._

Tori may not admit it to Sira or even to herself, but Sira knew that Tori was still smitten with Kurama. When the girl fell, she always fell hard.

Yusuke collapsed into a nearby sofa while Kurama and Kuwabara put the remaining presents under the tree. "Okay, we've got everything you wanted for the party."

Sira patted his head. "Good little errand boy."

Yusuke glared at you. "What I wouldn't give to shoot you."

Kurama stood up. "I must say, I am excited for this party." He glanced at Tori who shyly looked away.

Kuwabara nodded. "This is going to be fun. We haven't had a good break in ages."

Sira clasped her hands together. "And I get to introduce you to cinnamon bunnie goodness all over again."

Yusuke eyed her suspiciously. "Are you sure that we liked it last time?"

"Of course you did," Tori said, "why would you think we would lie about that?"

Yusuke jerked his thumb toward Sira. "Because I don't trust her. She probably poisoned it or something."

Sira looked offended. "I'll have you know I would never mess with the purity that is cinnamon buns." She grinned evilly. "Now as for the punch…"

Yusuke stood up. "I'm leaving."

"She's just joking," Tori shot Sira a glare. "Don't take her seriously."

Sira shrugged. She couldn't help if she like to harass Yusuke. It was just too much fun. "But seriously, I do need a head count on who all is coming."

It was important for baking. It's wasn't because she wanted to know if a certain fire demon was coming. She couldn't care less about him.

"Kieko and Botan should be coming later," Kuwabara said.

Tori grinned evily. "What about Hiei?" She looked pointedly at Sira. "Is he coming?"

If Tori wasn't her best friend, Sira could have killed her. She was making a bigger deal out of it than necessary. Sira couldn't care less about Hiei.

Yusuke raised his eyebrow. "Parties, colors, and happiness? Throw in a puppy and this is everything Hiei hates."

She should have known. Of course Hiei wouldn't come. He only came last time because Yukina was here. She didn't care though, it wasn't a big deal. Her eyes were just watery because of allergies.

"I'm going to go check on the cinnamon buns." Sira practically bolted from the room. She knew that it looked odd but it was better than the alternative. She wasn't going to let them see her cry, er, eyes water from allergies.

In the kitchen, she checked the oven, the cinnamon buns would probably be ready in a few minutes.

"You okay?"

Rubbing her eyes, Sira turned back to see Tori standing in the doorway. Sira forced a grin on her face. "Yeah, why?"

"Because you're crying."

"I am not." Sira resisted the urge to wipe her eyes again. "I'll have you know that it's just my allergies acting up again."

Tori smirked. "Pretty convenient, those allergies."

Sira glared at her. "Not really, seeing how I'm allergic to every tree, flower, grass, and pollen in existence."

"And yet you still want a live Christmas tree."

"Because it wouldn't be Christmas without a real one." Sira squinted at the oven again. Deciding they were ready, she pulled them out and set them on the counter.

"You sure you're okay?"

Sira waved her off. "Yeah, I'm fine. Now stop delaying and go give your present to Kurama."

Tori stiffened. "I'm not delaying."

Sira smirked. "Liar."

Tori glared. "You know, sometimes I really don't like you."

"You'll thank me one day," Sira called after her. As soon as Tori left, Sira dropped her smile. She wasn't sad. There was no way she was sad. She just had the winter blues. That was all she had even if she didn't fully believe it herself.

* * *

The feeling of nerves tingled throughout Tori's body as she approached the group. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama were talking on the couch completely oblivious to her nervousness.

How was she going to pull this off? It would be weird to give only Kurama a present now. They would know something was up.

Her mind was still blank as she rounded the couch. "So guys…"

Yusuke and Kuwabara looked like kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Both were in the process of tearing into gifts.

Kuwabara grinned sheepishly. "Uh, hi?"

Tori glared. "Seriously?"

Kurama held his hands up in defense. "I tried to stop them."

Yusuke shrugged. "I told you I don't trust Sira. For all I know she put a bomb in mine."

"She doesn't know how to make a bomb."

Yusuke smirked. "See? You don't deny it."

Tori was beginning to feel as if she was with two toddlers. Tori raised an eyebrow. "Wait, does that mean you don't trust me?"

Kuwabara shook his head vigorously. "No, you seem safe."

"Well, that's reassuring." Tori cast a glance back at the kitchen. This could be her chance. She just prayed Sira would forgive her for starting the unwrapping of presents early. "Fine. You can open them."

"All right," Kuwabara said.

"Sweet," Yusuke added before he began to tear at his present.

Tori scooped up her present and handed it to Kurama. "You might as well join in."

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

Tori motioned to the other two who looked like human Tasmanian devils. "We're already on a sinking ship."

Kurama nodded. "Good point."

Tori waited as Kurama opened his present. She didn't realize how tense she was until she looked down and saw that her knuckles were white from clutching her pants so hard.

"Notes from the Underground?" Kurama held the book out in front of him.

Tori self-consciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I heard you were a fan of Dostoevsky."

Kurama nodded. "Indeed I am. Thank you."

Tori studied Kurama's face for any sign of recognition. For that moment they had the first time she gave the present to him. But, there was nothing. No spark. No sense of warmth. Just the cordial politeness he always had.

Kurama frowned. "Is something the matter?"

Tori winced as she quickly look away. "No. I-"

"What the hell!"

Everyone stiffened as they turned to the kitchen. Sira stood in the entranceway. Oven mitts were still on her hands and she looked pissed.

"We were getting in the Christmas spirit," Yusuke said as he possessively clutched his new mini punching bag.

"Tori said you wouldn't mind." Kuwabara added as he unconsciously stroked his new cat bobblehead.

Tori held her hands out. "I didn't say that. I just said that since they started they should just commit all the way."

Kurama smiled apologetically. "I hope you don't mind."

"No, it's okay. I'm glad everyone is getting in the Christmas spirit." She grinned evilly. "Though I'd stay away from the punch if I were you."

"We're here," Botan called out from the front of the apartment.

Tori flinched. Apparently Grim Reapers knew how to sneak into locked apartments with ease. _That's a disturbing thought._

Botan entered followed by Keiko. Seeing the wreckage of the presents, she glared at Kuwabara and Yusuke. "Seriously?"

Keiko smiled at Sira and Tori. "Sorry about the other day. If I had known."

Tori shrugged. "No harm. No foul."

Sira nodded. "I'm just glad it's not cause you thought we were crazy weirdos."

"You are crazy weirdos," Yusuke muttered.

Botan smacked him upside of the head. "Don't say that. That's mean."

Yusuke glared at her. "Don't act so righteous. You're only mad because we started opening presents without you."

"Um…" Everyone turned to see Yukina standing at the entrance. Her jacket was still on, and she shrunk under their gazes. "Where should I hang my jacket?"

Kuwabara stood up, his face eager. "Yu-"

"YUKINA!" Tori and Sira yelled as they raced toward her.

Yukina looked terrified. "Do I know you?"

They stopped dead in their tracks and deflated. "You know," Tori sighed. "This is getting really old."

Sira nodded. "Seriously, it take the wind out of your sails."

Yukina shrunk within herself more. "Sorry?"

Botan smiled warmly. "We'll catch you up later."

Taking advantage of the moment, Kuwabara darted forward and took Yukina's jacket. "Here. Let me help you."

"Wait." An evil grin spread across Sira's face. "If Yukina's here…" She raced toward the tree, grabbed her present, and ran toward the kitchen.

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "Is she okay?"

Tori sighed. "Yeah, but she's probably going to kill us all." She slowly followed Sira.

* * *

Just as Sira had predicted, by the time she got to the kitchen, Hiei was already creeping through the window.

"Oooh, we have stalker."

Hiei glanced up at Sira but didn't halt in his progress. "What do you want, human?"

"To give you a present." Sira held out the present as Hiei straightened up.

Hiei eyed it as if he were deciding whether to set it on fire or not. "Why?"

"Because I have the Christmas spirit." When Hiei made no move to take it, she glared at him. "Now open it."

Hiei held the present out as if it was disgusting as he slowly unwrapped it. Moments later, he pulled out a stress relief martian doll.

"To help you with your anger issues," Sira snickered. The annoyed expression on Hiei's face was worth the do over.

"Stupid girl," Hiei said under his breath.

Sira acted offended. "How dare you call me stupid. Bitch, I'm fabulous! You should be groveling at my feet."

"Hn," Hiei flitted away before Sira could react.

 _Asshole,_ Sira thought as she turned away. Tori stood behind her with her hands over her chest.

Sira's eyes narrowed. "No."

"But it's so beautiful."

"Stop it." Sira said through clenched teeth.

Tori smirked. "The first stages of true love."

"It's not true love. The asshole forgot me. He's my mortal enemy again." Sira stomped off for emphasis.

Tori slowly shook her head. "If you say so…if you say so…"

Before Sira could make it out of the door, a loud crack rang out. Sira turned back. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Tori said as she glanced outside. Her face paled. " Uh-oh."

"What's wrong?" Sira asked as she glanced outside. "Shit."

The sky was purple. Glancing down, people were frozen mid-motion. "So," Tori said as Sira glanced back at her. "Guess that whole lying low thing isn't going to work for us after all."

* * *

L.A.: Dun...Dun... Dun!

Amu:(is still shocked)

L.A.: In case you are wondering, the "Bitch I'm fabulous" part is a quote. Brownie Points for anyone who knows the reference.

Amu: (is still shocked)

L.A.: Are you still pouting?

Amu: I don't even know you any more.

L.A.: You'll live. Anywho, you know what to do. Read and REVIEW!


	7. It's a Small World Horror Style

It's a Small World Horror Style

* * *

L.A.: Ugh…I can't stay on schedule. At least I'm still updating weekly. That's got to count for something, right?

Amu: (is judging)

L.A.: You know, that was last chapter. It's in the past.

Amu: (is still judging)

L.A.: Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Review Replies:

 **Darkness in Shadowland:** Thanks for the review! Brownie Points for you!

 **Angel of Randomosity:** Thanks for the review! No, they can't catch a break. It's more fun that way.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, the characters would hate me and the ridiculous scenarios I would put them in (maniacal laugh).

* * *

Sira and Tori stared down in amazement Nothing had changed. Everything was frozen in time.

"You think it's those time glitches again?" Sira asked.

Tori had thought the same thing. "Maybe, but they didn't used to last this long."

Sira's eyes widened. "What about the others?" They turned to face the den. "Do you think they were affected as well?"

Tori shrugged. "If it's like before…"

Sira nodded. "Only one way to find out."

They quickly entered the den. To their surprise, everyone was still acting like normal. Opening presents, talking, and laughing.

Kurama looked up and noted Tori's bewildered expression. "Is something the matter?"

All eyes turned to them. Tori shifted nervously. She always hated being in the spotlight. "You could say that."

Sira jerked her finger back toward the kitchen. "I think time's broke out there."

Yusuke frowned. "You sure you're not drunk?"

Sira glared at him. "How about you look outside and tell us what you see?"

Curious, the group headed toward the kitchen and crammed around the window. To Tori's relief everything was still frozen. Though technically she wasn't relieved that the problem still existed, just glad that Sira and she didn't look crazy.

"Well that's weird," Kuwabara said.

Botan turned toward Tori. "Did this happen a lot before?"

Tori nodded. "Yeah, we called them time glitches."

Sira frowned. "But, they never lasted this long."

"And they generally affected everyone but us," Tori added.

Yusuke smirked. "Then we should go out there and figure out what's going on."

Kurama crossed his arms. "But is that a good idea? What if we were to get stuck in the time glitch as well?"

Keiko and Yukina watched nervously.

"We could probably get you out of it," Sira glanced at Tori who nodded. "At least that's how it worked last time."

Botan frowned as she typed on her hand mirror communicator.

"Any word from Koenma or Hiei?" Yusuke asked.

Botan shook her head. "Something's blocked the reception."

Tori glanced out the window. Everything was still frozen, even the falling snow. It was like being stuck in a snow globe. Tori shivered at the thought. "Well, we better do something because it doesn't look like it's stopping any time soon.

The group traded uneasy glances.

* * *

Botan decided to stay with Keiko and Yukina and keep trying to contact Koenma. The rest stood at the entrance doors leading to the outside.

"So," Sira said. "Who wants to go first?"

Yusuke smirked. "Ladies first."

"How gentlemanly," Tori rolled her eyes.

Sira shrugged. "Whatever we should be fine." She grabbed Tori's hand and dragged her toward the doors. She shot one backwards glance at Yusuke and smirked. "Chicken."

Yusuke scowled. "Hey!"

Before he could comment, Tori and Sira were out the door.

Cold air slapped Tori in the face. She blinked a couple of times as her body adjusted.

Sira shivered beside her. "Guess we were right."

"Yeah," a puff of cold air came out of her mouth. It was colder than she had expected. "Yay, us."

"Damn it's cold," Yusuke said as he and the others approached them. Apparently the time glitch wasn't affecting them either.

"It's winter," Kuwabara said as he rubbed his hands together. "It's supposed to be cold."

Kurama frowned. "But not this 's something different about it. Something not natural."

Tori didn't like the sound of that.

"Well, that's not creepy or anything," Sira murmured.

Yusuke shrugged. "Whatever. Let's just find the problem already."

The group slowly trudged down the street. They were careful not to touch any of the frozen people just in case it hurt the people, or worse somehow pulled them into the frozen spell as well.

It was weird walking among the frozen. She felt like she was walking among mannequins. They were so still that Tori had to keep reminding herself that they weren't dead.

After 15 minutes of searching, the group started to get restless. So far, they couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary. Just a sea of frozen people.

"Aw, come on," Yusuke groaned. "There has to be something we're missing."

"Is there anything you can think of that happened before that could help us now?" Kurama asked. Tori noticed that he was the only one who didn't seem affected by the cold.

 _Not fair,_ she thought as she shivered.

"We already told you, it never lasted this long," Sira said as her teeth chattered. She looked absolutely miserable. "Seriously, I would not hold out on this."

"Maybe we should head inside?" Kuwabara's lips were turning blue. "Cause it's seriously cold."

"Yeah, except we'll still be stuck in this mess," Yusuke said, bitterly.

Suddenly, the sound of a music drifting through the air. It was tinny sounding, reminding Tori of a music box.

The others were still arguing completely oblivious to the sound.

"Guys. Shh. Don't you hear it?"

The guys frowned at Tori. "Hear what?"

Sira's eyes widened. "No. I hear it, too. Is that a music box?"

Tori nodded. "That's what I was thinking."

Yusuke looked annoyed. "What are you talking about?"

"Are you guys feeling okay?" Kuwabara added.

Tori turned to Kurama. "You guys don't hear it?"

Kurama shook his head. "No. We do not."

Sira and Tori traded worried glances. "Either we're going crazy…"

"Or we're somehow having powers that won't let us be affected," Tori finished. Tori wasn't sure which she would rather have happening to them. Sure the powers could be great, but then there was the problem of accidentally creating a fire breathing dragon. The crazy part didn't sound so great either.

Sira shrugged. "I guess there is only one way to find out."

Yusuke motioned in front of them. "Then lead the way."

It was a lot harder to find the source of the music than Tori had originally anticipated. The sound echoed and distorted leading them down dead ends and circles.

"This is pointless," Kuwabara moaned. "We're never going to find it."

Kurama glanced at the sky. "Can you still hear it?"

He sounded polite as always but Tori knew him well enough that he was beginning to doubt them. "Yes. We're sure." She knew she was sounding curt and she knew it wasn't Kurama's fault for not remembering their previous relationship. Still, it ticked her off that he couldn't just trust her. That he couldn't remember to trust her.

Kurama stiffened while the others raised their eyebrows at her in suspicion. Apparently it had come out harsher than she had intended.

"I think it's just around the corner," Sira said, breaking the tension.

Tori sent her a grateful look. She could always count on Sira having her back.

Yusuke crossed his arms and glared. "You better be right."

Sira rolled her eyes. "How should I know? This isn't an exact science you know."

They reluctantly rounded the corner and promptly came to a stop.

They had come to a roundabout. The center had been transformed into a creepy it's a small world installation. Human size clockwork figurines moved in stiff repetitive actions in the center. There was even Dalmatian wagging and cocking his tail. Up above them, a music box hovered in the air singing its eery tune.

"Well, this is disturbing," Tori said.

Sira's eyes twitched. "I am so having nightmares after this."

They slowly approached the installation. Besides their mechanical movements, there was nothing else out of the ordinary. No creepy villains popping out. No figures attacking them.

Kuwabara kept his sword at his side as he eyed them warily. "Do you think a demon would do this?"

Yusuke flinched when a figurine turned and waved at them. "Not one on the database."

Kurama frowned as he leaned forward to study one of the figurines. "You know. There is something strange about them. Something…"

Tori peered into one of the faces. There was something about the eyes. The way they looked. They appeared afraid, confused, and almost… "They look like they're alive." Tori said as a cold shiver ran down her spine.

"I see you are enjoying my artwork."

Everyone whirled in the direction of the voice.

The speaker looked like a boy no more than 10 or 11 years old with brown slicked back hair and purple eyes. There were strange metal growths on each side of his jaw bone and forehead which upon closer examination appeared to be screws. He hovered above them, sitting cross-legged with a piece of wood in his lap. The way he held the knife against it made it appear as if he was in the process of whittling.

Despite his appearance, the boys didn't take any chances. Yusuke had his spirit gun trained on the boy while Kurama and Kuwabara had their rose whip and sword poised to strike.

"Who are you?" Yusuke said, never once putting his hands down.

Tori and Sira discreetly moved behind the gang. No point being in the line of fire if the time came.

The boy cocked his head. "You're rude. Didn't anyone teach you manners?" He smirked. "Though if you must know. They call me the Toymaker. Even a simpleton like you should be able to guess why I'm called that."

The glow at the tip of Yusuke's gun grew brighter. "Why you-"

Kurama held out his hand to stop him. "We are just passing by. Trying to figure out what is going on. You wouldn't happen to know what caused this time freeze?"

Yusuke reluctantly dropped his hands.

The Toymaker shrugged. "No Idea. I'm just taking advantage of it." He motioned around him. "So many fresh canvasses to work with."

Tori glanced around. What did he mean by blank canvases? The only things around them were people frozen in time… Tori's face paled. "Oh, no."

Sira clutched her arm beside her arm beside her. Apparently she had come to the same conclusion.

"That's sick," Kuwabara said.

"Oh, I am so going to kick his ass," Yusuke cracked his knuckles for emphasis.

The Toymaker smirked. "This is going to be fun." He snapped his fingers. The figurines straightened up and turned toward them. "Let's see how you fair against my creations."

The toy like people slowly approached them.

Kurama flicked out his rose whip. "Sira, Tori, stay behind us."

He didn't have to worry. Tori wasn't about to engage in the fight. The way the figures walked toward her reminded her of the classic b-movie zombies.

Sira shivered. "Why does everything have to turn into a horror? I feel like I'm in the Walking Dead. I hate the Walking Dead."

Kuwabara charged toward the crowd, his sword raised above him.

Tori's eyes widened in panic. "Kuwabara! Don't! They're just innocent people."

Kuwabara came to an abrupt halt nearly tripping over himself. He dematerialized his sword. "You've got to be kidding me. How do we beat them then?"

No one was able to answer because the crowd attacked. The boys tried to fight back but they were operating with a handicap. Trying to take the people out without hurting or killing them was difficult.

Tori winced when Kurama wrapped his rose whip around a figurine. The whip emitted a strange rose hue and the figure immediately passed out. When the figurine collapsed the rose whip realized him. To Tori's relief, there were no scratches on the person.

"This is crazy," Sira said as she eyed the the battle warily. "What do we do?"

"You're the writer," Tori gasped when she saw Yusuke take a punch to the face. He staggered but remained on his feet as he continued to fight. "You figure it out."

Sira rolled her eyes. "Easier said than done." She glared at the music box. "If that would just shut up…"

"The music box," Tori said. "That has to be what's controlling them."

"Kuwabara," Sira yelled. She stopped when she saw him take a kick to the groin. "Never mind. He's got problems of his own."

Tori turned to Kurama. He was nearby focused on a group of slowly approaching figurines. "Kurama!"

He quickly turned to her looking at her, confused.

"The music box." Tori pointed to the hovering music box. "You need to get the music box."

She was afraid that he would doubt her again but he simply nodded and hurled his whip at the music box. It made a cracking sound before wrapping itself around the box.

"No!" The Toymaker shouted as he reached toward the music box. "Leave my precious alone!"

"Golem, much?" Sira said with a smirk.

Kurama proceeded to reel the music box in. Before he could make it a few inches, the Toymaker was upon it.

"Let go!" He yelled as he pulled his knife out. In one fluid motion, he cut the rose whip.

The whip let out a shriek as if it were alive. Kurama jerked back but it didn't matter. The whip lashed out and struck the Toymaker.

He howled as dropped the music box and grabbed his face.

"The music box!" Tori yelled. She and Sira were the closest. There was no option, they had to get it before it hit the ground and broke into pieces.

The next few moments felt as if they were in slow motion. The music box inching closer to the ground, each step closer so agonizingly slow. The shouts of the gang distorted.

It looked like they weren't going to make it. That the music box would be destroyed. Tori reached out her hand as she lurched forward.

As she caught it, another pair of hands reached out and caught it as well. Tori looked up and saw Sira smiling at her.

And then the world turned dark.

* * *

L.A.: And that's it for this chapter.

Amu: (is still judging)

L.A.: What? No comment about how I should quit doing so many cliff hangers?

Amu: (will judge L.A. until the end of time for the atrocity she has committed)

L.A.: I'm sorry, okay? Here have some pie. (gives Amu pie)

Amu: Fine. I will accept your apology…for now…

L.A.: Anywho, you know what to do. Read and REVIEW!


	8. Limbo

Limbo

* * *

L.A.: I'm back with a new shiny chapter.

Amu: So new. So shiny.

L.A.: I hope you enjoy!

Review Replies:

 **Angel of Randomosity:** Thanks for the review! And thanks for pointing out the typo. Stupid gremlins. I look over the chapter, and there are still a few that escape my editing.

 **Darkness in shadowland:** Thanks for the review! Amu will never stop judging me. It's part of being a muse. It's in her nature.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own this shiny new chapter. (Puts on sunglasses) So shiny.

* * *

Sira groaned. She felt like she had been run over by a train… repeatedly. As she slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, she tried to recall how she had ended up in this situation.

The music box… Tori and she had grabbed the music box. That was the last thing she could remember. Adrenaline rushed through her as she jumped to her feet.

She was alone on top of a building. At least, she thought it was a building. It was kind of hard to tell with how dim the lighting was. It was like she was seeing out of sunglasses. Even more unnerving was how quiet it was. Not one sound could be heard. She wasn't sure which freaked her out more. Where she was or that she was by herself with no recollection how she got there.

"I guess it could be worse," she murmured. "I could be stuck in pitch blackness."

"Hn."

Sira whirled around to see Hiei standing nearby peering down at the cityscape below them. "The hell?" Sira said. "When did you show up?"

Hiei glared at her. "I've been around. I've been forced to keep an eye on you two for a while."

Sira frowned. "But how did we get here?"

Hiei looked at her she were an idiot. "You touched the music box. And it seems to be powerful enough to drag anybody nearby into it."

"You tried to save me?" Sira said as she tried to ignore the warm feeling spreading through her.

"No. I tried to stop you from doing something stupid."

Sira frowned. She chose not to comment on that. "So, we're stuck inside of the music box? That's weird." She shifted awkwardly. "What do we do now?"

Hiei crossed his arms. "We leave. Try to find the others."

Sira raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to go out there. Who knows what freakish world we're in now."

Hiei glared. "We have to go."

Sira shook her head. "There are creepy small world figurines out there. I'm not becoming a victim of Chucky."

Hiei took a step forward. "You have no choice."

Sira crossed her arms. "You can't make me."

Hiei smirked before he flitted away.

Sira yelped as she was suddenly picked up bridle style. She glared at Hiei. "Hey!" She tried to ignore the pleasant jolt that had ran through her body from his contact.

Hiei stiffened.

Sira frowned at him. Had he felt it too? "You know that's cheating."

"Hn." If he had felt it, he didn't even act like it. Tightening his grip, he sprinted forward and jumped the next building.

Sira buried her face in his chest as she tried to ignore the sudden lurching drops in her stomach, every time he jumped to the next building.

 _I really hope Tori's okay,_ Sira thought.

* * *

"Tori? Tori!"

Tori's eyes snapped open.

She was in the middle of an alley lying flat on her back. A dull throb in her head made her feel slightly nauseous. _What happened?_

The music box… She needed to find the music box. She sat up quickly only to have the world tilt dangerously to the right as the pain intensified in her head. She moaned.

"Easy," a pair of hands braced her from falling.

Tori turned in the direction of the voice. Kurama stood beside her. A frown on his face as he eyed her worriedly. "Kurama?"

Kurama nodded. "It would seem we were sucked into the music box." His frown deepened as he tentatively brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. "How are you feeling? It looked like you took a nasty bump to your head."

Tori tried not to shiver under his touch as she pulled back. Hesitantly, she touched her head and winced. There as a massive knot on her head. _I bet I look so attractive right now._

"Tori?"

Tori blinked. She had forgotten he wanted her to respond to him. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Just a deformed unicorn now."

Kurama raised his eyebrow but didn't comment.

"We should probably get going." Tori got to her feet and swayed.

Kurama caught her and leaned her against him. Tori was about to protest but Kurama shook his head. "Better to conserve energy. I don't know how we're going to get out."

Tori nodded and instantly regretted it. Spots flashed in her eyes as pain radiated from her forehead.

Kurama eyed her warily.

"I'm fine," Tori forced herself to stand on her own two feet. Luckily they held. "I'll take it slow until we get out of here." She glanced up at the sky. "Speaking of which, how do we get out?"

Kurama frowned. "I'm not quite sure. I think the music box has pulled us into a pocket dimension of sorts." His frown deepened. "How an object like that has gone under the radar for so long is concerning."

Tori shrugged. "Black market, maybe? Someone buying their time until they found the right buyer?"

"Someone how has had a long time to plan this." Kurama's gaze turned back to Tori. The intensity in it caused her to look away.

"Something on my face?"

Kurama snapped out of his thoughts. "No. Just surprised how you are taking all of this in stride."

Tori bit back a laugh. If Kurama could only remember. "Sira and I went through a lot of crazy shit the last time we came to your world. There's almost nothing that surprises me now." Tori gingerly rubbed her head. "That or this bump is getting to me. I'd prefer the former option."

Kurama's lip quirked. "Good to know." He glanced down the street. "Well, my best guess on how to escape would be to go to the center of town. That should be where its power source is located."

"Then lead the way."

Kurama looked as if he was going to offer assistance again but decided against it when Tori crossed her arms.

As Tori followed Kurama, her mind drifted to thoughts of her best friend. Had Sira been brought to this world? Was she alone and scared?

 _I hope she's okay._

* * *

 _This absolutely sucks._

In most stories, when the damsel needs to be rescued, a charming handsome hero shows up caters to her every need before sweeping her off her feet.

Instead she got Hiei.

At least he had gotten the sweeping off her feet part correct. Though after a few minutes, he must of grown tired of carrying her bridle style because she was now thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He hadn't even asked her before doing it. It was really uncomfortable and she was beginning to think that kicking him in the balls would be a great way to remedy the problem.

A sharp pain shot through her head.

"Stop reading my mind, Hiei," Sira said through gritted teeth.

"Hn." He paused on a rooftop. Before Sira could ask, he dropped her on the ground.

"Ow," Sira said as she rubbed her sore rear. "What was that for?"

"Be quiet," Hiei hissed, the annoyance in his voice obvious.

Sira stood up and followed his gaze.

Down on the street below was a Dalmatian. Its markings made the dog look like Pongo from 101 Dalmatians. It sniffed and pawed the ground as it nervously whimpered.

Sira raised her eyebrow at Hiei. "That's what caught your attention? A dog?"

Hiei's eyes narrowed. "Quiet."

Sira smirked. "Don't tell me the great Hiei is afraid of a little doggy."

"Shut up." Hiei said through gritted teeth.

The dog barked. Sira frowned. It looked as if it were barking at something in the dark alleyway across from it.

Hiei's hand hovered over his sword.

Suddenly, without any warning, the dog took off running down the street. Hiei and Sira waited a couple more moments, but nothing happened.

Hiei relaxed. "Let's go."

Sira eyed the street below them warily. "Should I be concerned about what spooked that dog?"

Hiei shook his head. "It's gone…for now."

Sira frowned. "What was it?"

A dark look crossed Hiei's face. "Something that should have stayed dead." He motioned her to follow him. "Now hurry up or I'll carry you."

"I can move on my own." Sira said as she hurried after him. Once she was sure he wasn't paying attention to her, she glanced back.

She really hoped that whatever had been back there didn't return. Despite Hiei's demeanor, she could sense that he had been nervous.

 _What kind of monster can cause him to be nervous?_ Sira shuddered at the thought.

* * *

They had been walking in silence for a while. For how long, Tori wasn't sure. There was no indication of the passage of time. The shadows didn't move, and despite the grayish light there was no sun in the sky. It was like they were stuck in limbo.

 _If I were stuck by myself, I would go crazy._ Luckily, the pain in Tori's head had eased off to a dull ache. As long as she didn't move her head too quickly, she wouldn't see stars.

Kurama paused at and glanced at the road going off in different directions. This was about the dozenth time he had done it. Tori had thought that the city they were currently in was the same as the real world. Judging by Kurama's cautious behavior, it looked as if it wasn't the case.

Tori bit her lip. "Are we lost?"

Kurama blinked slowly as if he were coming out of deep thought. "Not lost per say just turned around."

"What do you mean?"

Kurama glanced up at the street signs. "This is a mirror of our world but not quite." He pointed to the signs. "Take these signs for instance. They should be on the other side of the town."

Tori glanced up at them. They were in Kanji. Tori shrugged. "I'll take your word for it since I can't read it."

Kurama frowned. "You seemed fine in the real world. They're still the same."

Tori focused on the Kanji. Despite how hard she tried, she couldn't understand it. "Guess it's not the same here." She rubbed her head gingerly. Concentrating made her head hurt.

Kurama eyed her warily. "Perhaps we should rest."

Tori brushed it off. "I'm fine. Just tired."

"Still, the bump could have done more damage than we are aware off."

A chill went down Tori's spine as she glanced back up at the signs. She really hoped this was the effect of the limbo world and not her own head.

"All the more reason to keep moving," Tori said.

Kurama looked like he was about to protest.

"Which way?"

Kurama frowned and pointed to the right. "This way, I think."

Tori nodded as she followed him.

The next ten minutes or so were spent in awkwardness she felt was like a thick fog that surrounded them. It felt like a weight and weightless at the same time making one step forward feel like a giant boulder sat on her back. The next step would feel as if it were gone. The feeling was disorienting and the fact that she could only see a few feet in front of her didn't help.

Kurama had remained quiet. Whether it was because he was angry with her stubbornness or if he was concentrating, she wasn't sure. She was about to break the silence when they rounded the corner.

They had finally made it to the center of the city. To Tori's disappointment, there was no sign of the music box. No sign that this area was any different than the others.

"What now?" Tori said, her frustration evident in her voice.

"I don't know, I-" Kurama stiffened before he quickly pulled out his rose whip. "This can't be good."

Before Tori could ask why, a loud boom echoed through the city as a darkness crept over them. It took Tori a moment to realize that it wasn't turning to night. It was actually a giant shadow that was cast down on them.

Glancing up, Tori felt her blood run cold.

The Toymaker, now a giant, loomed before them. He grinned down at them. "You broke my toys. Now you get to become them."

* * *

L.A.: That's it for this chapter!

Amu: You and your darn cliffhangers.

L.A.: So, for the next chapter, I was hoping I could get at least 3 reviews.

Amu: The two who have been reviewing are amazing. You deserve pies.

L.A.: I'm still going to update but, it would be nice to hear from more of you. Anywho you know what to do, read and REVIEW!


	9. A Proposition

A Proposition

* * *

L.A.: Eh…heh….heh…

Amu: shakes head.

L.A.:….whoopsie…

Amu: So much for a weekly new chapter.

L.A.: Well, I'm finally sort of back, with a new chapter.

Review Replies:

 **Darkness in shadowland:** Thanks for the review! Hopefully after this long wait, your questions will be answered.

 **Vir M:** Thanks for the review! Sorry for the long delay. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, they would be forced to bring it back for a new season.

* * *

She was going to be traumatized by this place. Sira just knew it. It was like they were stuck in a rut. Each turn seeming to lead them back to where they were previous. If she didn't knew any better, she would have thought they were in purgatory.

If Hiei was concerned, he didn't show it. Besides stopping occasionally to check their surroundings, and probably resisting the urge to kill her for her slowness, there wasn't much change.

Sira's legs cramped. She flopped on the ground with a sigh. "This is hopeless."

Hiei glared at her. "We need to keep moving."

"What's the point? We're not making any progress." Sira waved her hand around in emphasis. She was almost certain they were back on the same rooftop she had woken up on.

"Hn," Hiei said as he crossed his arms.

Sira glared. "You know a hint of encouragement goes a long way."

Hiei just stared at her.

Sira groaned as she got to her feet. "Fine. Party Pooper. At least tell me you've seen a change in our surroundings."

Hiei glanced around. "We won't see any progress. We're caught in a loop." He said it calmly as if he were talking about the weather.

Sira felt her jaw drop. "Oh, is that all? Then what the hell are we doing? Are you just trying to wear me out until I drop dead?"

Hiei smirked as if the thought had occurred to him.

"Seriously?"

"Loops aren't perfect. There should be something off. A loophole we can use."

"Oh," Sira only felt slightly bad for accusing him. She had a feeling if she did drop dead he wouldn't feel the least bit bad about it… the prick.

Hiei glared at her.

Sira rolled her eyes. "Fine. Let's get going then. Find this stupid loophole."

"Hn." Hiei tensed suddenly, his hand on his sword.

Sira glared. "You know, if you are going to get so offended by my thoughts then don't read them."

"Shut up," Hiei said through clenched teeth as he quickly withdrew his sword.

There was a sudden shift in the air. That was the only way Sira could describe it. It was colder and the air felt stale, as if the life had been suck out of it.

She drew closer to Hiei. "What's happening?"

"Stay out of my way," Hiei said, his sword held in front of him.

A growl came from the shadows and the sound of scrapping claws rang out. Sira's mouth went dry as she felt the chill settle in her bones. "Hiei…"

Hiei ignored her. His muscles were taut as if he was restraining the urge to lunge into the shadows.

Another growl came from the shadows as a figure stepped forward. It stood on two legs and was cloaked in a hooded fabric. At least, she thought it was a fabric. There was something strange about it. It rippled and swirled as if it were alive itself. Sira couldn't see under the fabric so she didn't know what the creature looked like. Not even its hands, which were covered by the strange fabric. It looked like the grim reaper itself.

"It's been stalking us for a while," Hiei said as he slowly backed up, creating more room to fight.

Sira backed up as well. "That thing you said should stay dead."

Hiei didn't respond. His attention was focused on the creature.

The creature paused, studying them with mild interest. For a moment, Sira thought it was going to leave them alone.

A hiss escaped its throat before it lunged forward and attacked.

* * *

Kurama frowned, his whip poised for attack.

Tori didn't want to be negative, but she felt it was like trying to fight a giant off with a needle.

The Toymaker didn't seemed too afraid of Kurama either. Probably he was delighted to have his dream come true. Living Toys.

"You will let us out," Kurama said.

The Toymaker laughed. "Now, now. Don't be mean. We still need to play." His gaze turned toward Tori. "Come here."

He reached out to her.

Tori tried to run but she tripped and fell. Backing up in horror, she stared up at the giant hand that loomed before her. She was going to be crushed in its grip. She just knew it.

Suddenly, the Toymaker let out a howl as his hand jerked back. Out of the corner of her eye, Tori saw Kurama pull his rose whip back.

"You pest," The Toymaker said as he eyed his hand. An angry thin whelp was on his hand. It looked like it was bleeding slightly. "You gave me a paper cut."

"Come on," Kurama said as he quickly helped Tori to his feet. "We need to move."

Ignoring the pain in her head from the sudden movement, Tori jumped to her feet and followed Kurama down the road.

"Oh, no," The Toymaker's eyes narrowed. "You aren't getting away that easily." He reached out for both of them. His hands created dark shadows that covered half the street. Almost like an eclipse.

Kurama grabbed Tori's hand and jerked to the right. "This way."

Tori followed without hesitation. He led her down an alley just as the Toymaker made a grab for them. Luckily, his hands were too big for the alley and he came up short. His howl of frustration shook the ground. Tori was almost afraid that he was going to cause an earthquake.

"Keep moving," Kurama said as he glanced back at the Toymaker. "We can loose him in the back alleys."

Tori really hoped so because with the fit he was having, she did not want to experience his wrath if they were caught.

After a few minutes, Kurama finally allowed them to stop. Tori was breathing heavily by then and her head was sending pulses of pain through her body.

Kurama glanced up at the sky. "We should be safe for now."

There was no sign of the Toymaker. She couldn't even hear him now. "Great," she wheezed. "Doesn't help our current situation."

"Yes, it does pose a problem. Seems the music box has allowed him to grow more powerful in this world." He paused as he glanced down.

Tori followed his gaze.

Their hands were still clasped. She had completely forgotten they were still holding hands. His hand felt warm in hers. Comforting and familiar.

Glancing up at Kurama, she saw a look of confusion in his eyes. Did he feel it, too? Was there still a part of him that wanted him to remember?

Kurama cleared his throat.

Self conscious, Tori quickly let go of his hand. "So what now?" Tori asked, as she tried to ignore the sudden sense of loss she felt. She rubbed her hand against her thigh to bring back warmth.

"We need to see if we can find the others."

Tori perked up. "Others? Someone else is here?"

Kurama nodded. "I sensed Hiei's spirit energy a while back. I have a feeling he is with Sira."

Tori's eyes widened. "Sira's here?" She couldn't imagine what Sira must be going through right now.

"We need to regroup. It's our only chance right now against him."

"Any idea which way to start?"

Kurama nodded. "I think so." He eyed her warily. "You ready?"

 _Do I really look that bad?_ Tori thought as she forced a smile. "Yep. Let's go." As she followed Kurama, her thoughts drifted back to her best friend. _Please be okay, Sira._

* * *

This was an absolute disaster. There was no other way to describe it. Hiei had been fighting the creature for fifteen minutes and didn't seem to be making any headway.

Of course, Sira assumed that. They were moving so fast that they looked like little blurs. Her eyes were twitching due to strain.

She hated this. This feeling of helplessness. Of being a bystander. But, what was she to do? Her powers had deserted her and she wouldn't last two seconds in a fist fight.

Sira clinched her fists. There had to be something. Anything she can do to turn the tide in Hiei's favor, but how?

She tensed when she heard Hiei grunt in pain. Looking up, he was crouched a few feet away. His sword arm hung uselessly as his other hand clung to his upper arm. Sira could see blood seeping through his hand.

"Hiei?"

"Not now." Hiei switched his sword to his other hand.

Sira saw a thin wound on his upper arm, like the type a claw would make if it were sliced across. It looked angry red with blood seeping from it. "That doesn't look good."

"Hn," Hiei's eyes were focused on the ground in front of him.

Apparently Hiei's break was up because the creature materialize from the ground. It hissed at him angrily.

Hiei charged the creature, his sword flashing in the dull light.

The creature let out a roar before charging, its claws poised for attack. They came together in a deadlock. Hiei's sword blocking the creature's claws. Neither could move.

Sira glanced around for some sort of help. A rock. A shard of glass. Anything to turn it in Hiei's favor.

Unfortunately this rooftop was clean. Perfectly clean. Not a speck of litter or dirt everywhere. _Of course there's no conveniently placed weapon,_ Sira thought bitterly, _That would just be too easy._

The creature roared in triumph causing Sira to turn back around.

Hiei was on the ground sprawled on his back. His sword was out of reach, probably thrown during the scuffle.

The creature loomed over him, saliva dripping from the hole in the hood. It leaned forward planning to devour him.

Sira frantically looked around for the sword. Spotting it, she raced toward it. She knew she wasn't going to make it in time. The creature was going to devour Hiei and then she was next. _A Hail Mary would be really nice right now._

The sound of a whipping cracking shattered the scene. Sira looked back to see a plant-like whip wrapped around the creature's neck before the whip hurled the creature back.

Sira's eyes widened. She knew that whip. If it were here, that would mean…

Kurama was standing a few feet away. His concentration on the creature as it flailed and strained against the whip. Tori stood a few feet behind him, looking concerned.

"Tori!"

Tori's face lit up. "Glad we got to you in time."

Kurama frowned, his arm tensing from the strain. "Sira, toss Hiei his sword. Quickly."

Sira scooped up the sword and tossed it to Hiei.

He was on his feet in an instant catching his sword with ease. As he walked toward the creature, he gave Kurama a look of contempt. "I could have taken care of it myself, fox."

Kurama smirked. "Maybe so. But we don't have time for drawn out battles now."

"Hn," Hiei towered over the creature, his sword raised over his head.

The creature hissed at him.

Without any sign of remorse, Hiei plunged his sword into the creature's chest. Right where his heart should be.

The creature spasmed once, twice, then fell still.

Sira felt her stomach churn as she stared at the corpse. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Hn," Hiei said as he sheathed his sword.

"Better it than us," Kurama retracted his rose whip.

Tori looked nauseous as well. "Doesn't change the fact that there's a corpse in front of us."

The corpse suddenly disintegrated into the shadows.

"Or not," Sira's eyes darted around anxiously. Had the creature not been dead? Was it lurking in the shadows planning its next move.

"It's still dead," Kurama said as if he were reading her thoughts. "Just returned to the shadows."

"What was it?" Tori said as she tried to suppress a shiver.

"A wraith," Kurama's expression darkened. "How one got in here, I have no clue."

"Enough about useless subjects," Hiei said, his arms crossed. If he was still feeling pain from the cut on his arm, he wasn't showing it. "I suppose you have a way out of here, fox?"

"Possibly, but we have to get past the Toymaker."

Sira paled. "He's in here, too?"

"And he's a huge problem now," Tori said, "Literally."

"It seems the music box has given him more power than we originally anticipated."

Hiei smirked. "It shouldn't be a problem for me."

Sira turned to Kurama. "You've got a plan?"

"Possibly. It seems he can only stay around the center of this world."

"Because he's huge," Tori said, her right eye twitching. "He's freaking Jack and the Beanstalk huge."

Kurama raised an eyebrow at her.

Tori winced. "Sorry. Continue."

"My guess is that the Toymaker is keeping the music box on him to keep him strong."

Sira frowned. "The music box is in this world?"

Kurama nodded. "Most objects with power such as this usually projects itself into the world it's created. It's the only way to keep the world stable."

Hiei rested his fingers on his sword. "So we get the music box. We get out."

Kurama nodded again. "This world was probably created from the Toymaker's desires. If we get the music box, it should destabilize this world. Allow us to escape."

Tori shivered.

Sira understood exactly what Tori was thinking. If the Toymaker created this world, what kind of messed up demon was he?

Hiei cracked his knuckles. "No point wasting time. Let's go."

Sira got the feeling that Hiei was planning to take out all his aggression on the Toymaker. _I just hope it's enough._

"All right," Kurama glanced back at Tori worriedly.

Sira followed his gaze. Tori was rubbing her head as if in pain. Seeing their gazes, she dropped her hand and glared at them. "I'm fine."

Kurama let out a sigh before he and Hiei started walking away. Sira and Tori trailed after them.

Sira eyed Tori warily. "You sure?"

Tori winced before frowning. "Like I said. I'm fine. I don't know why I keep having to say this."

 _Well, I've struck a nerve_ , Sira thought as she took a step sideways, creating space.

Tori looked apologetic. "Later. We'll talk about it later." Tori hurried to catch up to the others before Sira comment.

* * *

It didn't take long for them to reach the town center. To Sira's surprise, it was eerily quiet. Not a trace of the Toymaker in sight.

Sira raised an eyebrow. "So where is this giant you were talking about?"

Kurama frowned. "He was here before. Perhaps he moved to a different area."

"But you said yourself that he couldn't move far from the town center," Tori said.

Sira smirked. "Perhaps, he's invisible now."

"Hn," Hiei said, unamused.

Tori shivered. "Don't even joke about that."

"Tori, Sira, hang back," Kuruma pulled out his rose whip back. "Hiei and I will look into this."

Tori nodded. "Okay, stay safe."

Kurama smiled at her. "You, too."

Sira glanced at Hiei.

He glared at her. "Don't do something stupid. I don't have time to take care of you."

Sira clinched her teeth into a smile. "I guess don't die. That'll be annoying."

"Hn," Hiei followed Kurama out onto the street.

Tori raised her eyebrow at Sira. "You know, you two are seriously weird."

"He started it," Sira muttered as she crossed her arms. "I would never talk love dovey…." Sira glanced at Tori and frowned when she saw Tori rubbing her head. "You want to tell me about it now?"

Tori dropped her hand. "I hit my head. Might have a concussion."

There was something in her voice. Like she was holding back something.

"And that's it?"

"If there was something else I would tell you." There was a sense of finality in Tori's voice. As if she was warning Sira not to press it further.

Sira sighed as she turned away. "Fine whatever."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, and they were still waiting in silence. Nothing had happened, and they hadn't seen or heard from Kurama or Hiei.

Sira groaned loudly. "What is going on?"

"Something should have happened by now, right?"

"Definitely." Sira started to the exit of the alley.

Tori reached out to stop her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not going sit around here anymore," Sira turned back to the alley. "I'm going to go see what is going on."

"What about the giant?"

Sira resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm pretty sure we'll see him coming before he sees us."

Tori reluctantly nodded before following Sira out of the alley.

The street was deserted. Not a person or animal in sight. The air itself felt stale.

Tori shivered. "This is creepy."

Sira nodded. "Yeah, which makes me wonder what happened to Kurama and Hiei."

The girls drew closer together as they rounded the corner.

Kurama and Hiei stood rigid still in the center of the town center. From the way they were positioned, it was like they were preparing to attack.

Tori shifted uneasily beside Sira. "Maybe we should leave. They must sense something."

Sira frowned. There was something strange about the way they were standing. Sira took a step forward.

Tori reached out and grabbed her. "Sira."

"Something's up." Sira shook Tori from her grasp. "I'm going to find out."

Tori sighed but she didn't stop her. Instead, she followed Sira to the boys.

Kurama nor Hiei seemed to be aware of their approach. This set Sira's nerves on the edge. Kurama and Hiei always seemed to have a sixth sense about them. The fact that they weren't even acknowledging their presence, meant something was up.

When Sira and Tori were only a few feet away from them, Sira called out. "Kurama? Hiei?"

Neither moved.

Sira turned back to Tori. "Think something's up now?"

"Yep. Hiei definitely should have killed you by now."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Sira muttered. She was tempted to reach out and touch them, but the fear of Hiei cutting her hand off discouraged her. She quickly moved around them so she could face them.

The blood felt like it froze in her body.

The reason why Kurama and Hiei hadn't responded was because they were frozen in place. They looked almost like statues if it weren't for the light reflecting in their eyes.

"What the?" Sira said.

Tori rushed forward and shook Kurama's shoulders. "Kurama? What's wrong? Snap out of it."

Nothing happened. They remained in place.

Tori turned back to Sira. "This isn't right. If they froze before, we would always snap them out of it."

A deep chuckle caused them to turn around.

How the Toymaker snuck up on them, Sira had no clue. He stood before them now with a satisfied smirk on his face. Sira squinted at the Toymaker and could just barely make out the music box peaking out of his shirt pocket.

"You are like mice," The Toymaker said, "so easy to lead into a trap."

Sira and Tori glanced at each other nervously. They needed to run, but where they had no clue.

Tori licked her lips nervously. "Why are you doing this?"

The Toymaker cocked his head. "Because I like to make toys. It's fun."

Sira took a step to the left.

The Toymaker trained his eyes on her. _Crap,_ she thought, _Not going to sneak away._

"You two are most interesting, though," The Toymaker said, his eyes narrowing in pleasure. "You aren't affected by the music box like the others."

Sira laughed nervously. "What can I say. We are weird." _A distraction,_ Sira thought, _we really need a distraction._

The Toymaker leaned forward.

A loud explosion went off in the distance sending a plume of smoke soaring in the air. The Toymaker jerked and looked back. "What the?"

Sira grabbed Tori's hand and dragged her to the nearest alley. "We need to go. Now."

Tori hesitated but couldn't resist Sira dragging her. "We can't leave them."

"We have no choice." The alley was a few feet away. If they could just make it…

A hand swooped down. Before either could react, Tori was jerked up in the air. She slipped out of Sira's grip before Sira could be brought up as well.

Sira was sent hurling into the alley while Tori fought against the hand closing in around her.

Sira looked up just in time to see Tori being held in front of the Toymaker's face.

The Toymaker's eyes danced in delight. "One down, One to go."

Tori squirmed but couldn't get out of his grip.

Sira watched helplessly. What could she do? She was useless in this situation. Sira squeezed her eyes shut. _Fire breathing dragon. Please for the love of all things holy, send a fire breathing dragon._

"I'd hurry up and give up if I were you," The Toymaker's voice boomed through the air. "If I lose my patience, I might turn my new toy into an alien popper."

Sira opened her eyes. Of course nothing would happen. What did she expect? Every part of her wanted to go out and save Tori; but, if she stepped foot outside of alley, they were both as good as dead.

"Seems kind of bleak doesn't it?"

Sira whipped around in alarm.

A woman, who looked a couple years older than her, stood before her. She had long blue hair that reached her hips, bright blue eyes, and pale skin. She wore a fitted blue halter top and a knee length flowing blue skirt. The woman wore blues shoes that looked eerily similar to pointe shoes that ballerinas wore.

"Who are you?"

The woman cocked her head. "My name is no importance." She motioned to the Toymaker. "I think you have more pressing matters on your plate."

"Tick Tock. Tick Tock," The Toymaker said. He tossed Tori in the air, she let out a yelp as she fell into his other hand.

Sira turned back to the woman. "Don't suppose you can help."

The woman smiled but for some reason it appeared sinister. "I can… for a price."

Sira eyed her warily. "What kind of price?"

The woman shrugged. "Not sure yet. It would be an I O U."

"Why would you do this?"

Again the woman shrugged. "Let's just say that we have a lot in common. As long as you don't tell anyone of our little arrangement. I can fix this situation."

Warning bells were going off in Sira's head. She shouldn't trust this woman, but what choice did she have?

"You have ten seconds before I start squeezing," The Toymaker said. "10… 9…"

"Okay," Sira said as she turned to the woman. "Just do it."

The woman snapped her fingers. "Done." She pulled the music box out from behind her back and handed it to her.

Sira's eyes widened. "It's that easy?" _What other powers does this lady have?_

The music box glowed in Sira's arms as the world started disappearing around them.

"No!" The Toymaker yelled. "What's happening?"

The woman smiled at Sira. "Remember our deal." She held a finger up to our lips. "And don't tell anyone."

A bright white light blinded Sira forcing her to close her eyes.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself standing in the middle of Koenma's office.

* * *

Amu: You and your cliffhangers.

L.A.: What can I say, I'm an addict. Anyway, I'm still quite busy, but I'm going to try and update every other week. Hopefully, there won't be as long of waits that way.

Amu: Good luck with that. I can already smell the fires of torches burning.

L.A.: Well, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	10. Parties Shouldn't Be Cursed

Parties Shouldn't Be Cursed

* * *

L.A.: Every other week. See, I did it.

Amu: Let's see how long this will last.

L.A.: Anywho, I hope you enjoy!

Review Replies:

 **Angel of Randomosity** : Thanks for the review! Sira's not gonna get it. There was nothing sketchy about a random lady in a shadow world offering to help you for a unspecified favor in return. Nothing sketchy about that at all.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, they would have been much more miserable than they were.

* * *

Tori blinked a couple of times as her vision cleared of spots. One minute she was in the Toymaker's grasp terrified that he was going to squeeze the life out of her, then the next, she was standing in Koenma's office.

Koenma looked positively stunned to see her. Yusuke and Kuwabara stood on either side of him. Apparently they had been fighting, because Yusuke's fist has stopped an inch from Kuwabara's face as they both stared at her in surprise.

"Uh…"

Tori turned to see Sira standing a few feet away from her. In her hands was the music box. "How?"

Koenma pointed behind Tori. "Don't let him escape."

Tori turned to see the Toymaker, now his normal size, trying to slip out of the office. He only made it a few steps before a rose whip wrapped around him, stopping him in his tracks.

Tori followed it back to Kurama. He and Hiei stood on the other side of the room. Thankfully, they didn't seem to be frozen anymore.

"Party pooper," the Toymaker mumbled.

"You better be glad, we don't pummel you, you freak," Yusuke said as he cracked his knuckles for emphasis.

Koenma turned to Sira. "Place the music box on my desk gently. We don't want it activated again."

Sira nodded as she set it down on his desk. Apparently she was glad to be rid of it as well.

Tori frowned. "How did you get the music box?"

Sira winced. "I just found it. It must have fallen out of his shirt pocket." There was something in her voice. Like she as holding back something. Tori tried to catch her attention, but Sira wouldn't meet her gaze. "Got lucky, I guess."

Koenma's eyes narrowed as if he had sensed something. "Very lucky indeed."

The Toymaker struggled in the vines.

Koenma turned to him. "Take him to holding. We'll question him later."

Kurama nodded as he and the boys left with the Toymaker. It wasn't until the Toymaker was out of sight, that Tori finally relaxed. She was going to have nightmares for sure.

"So, what are you going to do with the music box?" Sira asked.

Koenma eyed the music box warily. "We're going to put it in the vault for now and double security."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "You think someone's going to try and steal it?"

Koenma frowned. "Maybe. Objects such as this had been catalogued and stored in the Vault a long time ago. The fact that one like this was still out there is very odd."

Sira smirked. "One slipped through the cracks?"

Koenma clasped his hands in front of him as if he was deep in thought. "Maybe. But I'm more concerned that it was here already."

Tori's eyes widened. "You mean someone snuck in and took it without you knowing?"

Koema nodded. "I think an itemization is in order." There was a dark look on his face. As if he were holding back something.

Come to think it, why was he telling them all of this? Tori frowned. Koenma had never been this forth coming in their previous encounters. He always kept his cards close to him. So, why was he being so chatty now?

There was a knock on the door.

They turned to see Botan pop her head in. "You wanted to see me?" Her eyes landed on Sira and Tori and she broke out in a smile. "You're okay!"

"Judging from the fact that you and the others are here, I take it the world is back to normal?" Sira asked.

Botan nodded. "Seems when you grabbed the music box in your first battle with The Toymaker, whatever was causes the time glitch ceased to exist."

"So, they're connected?" Tori turned back to Koenma.

Koenma had his hands clasped in front of him. "Perhaps." He sounded distracted, as if his mind was on something else. "Botan, can you see them home?"

Botan nodded. "Sure." She motioned them to follow her.

As Tori followed Sira and Botan out, she risked one last backwards glance at Koenma. He didn't seem to be aware of their presence anymore. _I wonder what's on his mind?_

"I guess our Christmas party's a bust… again," Sira said once they where in the hallway.

Tori shrugged. "Are you surprised? It seems like every time we try to plan a party in this world, shit hits the fan."

"Well, at least you can say your parties are never dull," Botan said with a sheepish grin.

Sira clinched her fists. "That's it. Botan, tell everyone to come back to Kuwabara's. We're going to have a kickass party."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "Won't Shizuru be pissed if we hold another party without asking her?"

Sira shrugged. "It's not like she's going to be there. She's never around. I think she's avoiding us because she hate us."

Tori had the feeling that Sira wasn't far off on that thought.

Botan winces. "We still have to process the paperwork. It could be real late."

Sira's eye twitched. "I am not going to let our parties remained cursed. We are going to have an epic party even if it kills us."

"It already tried to kill us," Tori said, "you sure you want to tempt fate?"

Sira glared at both of them. "Do you want to tempt the fate of our friendships?"

Botan winced. "I'll let them know. We'll be over as soon as possible."

* * *

Salvaging the party was difficult to say the least. Somehow the cinnamon buns had burned and the ice had melted in the punch watering it down. Half the gift wrap was strewn across the floor making the apartment look like a disaster area.

Tori sighed as she shoved some of the gift wrap in a trash bag. "Are you sure this is really worth it?"

Sira nodded. "In more ways than one."

"Care to elaborate?"

Sira sighed. "Apparently trying to follow our original journey isn't working. Every time we try, it seems everything takes a 180."

"Don't remind me." Tori shivered. "I'm going to have nightmares about the Toymaker for weeks."

"So, maybe we should be more proactive." Sira said, "try to write the story in our favor."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "So, since our parties are cursed, we should try to have a party that goes off without a hitch?"

Sira shrugged. "You never know. It could work."

Tori eyed her skeptically. "And this has nothing to do with your pride?"

"Maybe," Sira said. "But we're dealing with the butterfly effect here. Apparently we already screwed ourselves because we peed in the wrong toilet. Why not screw with everything else?"

"You're still obsessing about peeing in the wrong toilet, aren't you?"

Sira clenched her fists. "Stupid time law. It's too damn finicky."

Tori chuckled as she scooped up another ripped gift wrapping paper and stuffed it in the trash. "So," Tori said causally. "Want to tell me what you were keeping from Koema earlier?"

Sira stiffened. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Tori really didn't understand why Sira was being so secretive. The girl had never been good about keeping secrets about herself. Her expressions always betrayed here. "You were obviously hiding something from him."

Sira shifted uneasily.

"I'll be your best friend."

Sira smirked. "You already are my best friend. And no, I wasn't keeping anything from him. I honestly have no idea how I got the music box. It had to have fallen out of his pocket."

Tori frowned. There was a hesitancy in her voice. As if she was still hiding something. "But-"

"Just drop it, okay?" Sira said, a little to harshly. She must have realized her mistake because she forced a grin. "Sorry, I'm just tired and want to move on."

Tori nodded. "Yeah, I get it." Tori forced a grin back. "Let's have that curse free party."

Sira looked relieved. "Definitely."

As Tori went back to cleaning she couldn't help but notice that even though Sira was only a few feet away, Tori had never felt further from her in her life.

* * *

Surprisingly, the party went off without a hitch. Apparently karma decided that they had had enough drama for a while.

Sira had been right about suggesting the party. Everyone seemed to enjoy the temporary stress reliever. Everyone that is, except for Hiei who had chosen not to show up. Tori had a feeling Hiei's form of stress relief was him sitting in trees and sulking.

It didn't take long though for her headache to flair up again. When she found a good break, she excused herself to grab some Tylenol from her room and headed to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

After taking the pills, Tori leaned against the counter, savoring the few minutes of isolation as her head dully thumped.

"Head still hurting?"

Tori turned to see Kurama enter the kitchen. "Pretty sure it's a concussion."

"You should probably get that looked at."

Tori shrugged. "Why? All they are going to tell me is that I have an concussion. Take medicine and bed rest." Tori smirked. "Stuff I already know."

Kurama leaned against the counter beside Tori. "True."

They were quiet for a minute.

Tori shyly cut her eyes up at him. "I'm scared." She said quietly.

Kurama turned to look at her. "What?"

"I'm scared that they'll tell me it was more than a concussion." It was the first time she had admitted it out loud. Ever since she couldn't read the signs though, it had been nagging her. "What if the inability to read the signs is something more?"

"Do you still have that problem here?"

Tori slowly shook her head. "No. I could read them here."

"Then you're probably fine. Shadow worlds can affect people in different ways." He smiled at her warmly. "Just give it time."

Tori smiled back. "Thanks. That makes me feel a little better." And she meant it. Kurama always had that ability to make her feel better.

Kurama continued to stare at her.

Feeling self conscious, Tori looked away. "What?"

Kurama blinked as if he was coming out of deep thought. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."

"About what?"

"Before…the adventure that we had with you that I can't remember. We're we close?"

Tori felt her cheeks redden. "What makes you say that?"

"It's strange but I feel comfortable around you. That I have to keep an eye on you." Kurama frowned. "Why is that?"

The urge to tell him the truth was almost overwhelming. She could feel it pressing at the tip of her tongue. However, when she looked back at him, she felt her motivation drain away. If she told them they had been together, then he might feel some duty to maintain the relationship. Not for love, but for some memory he couldn't even recall. It didn't sit well with her. She didn't want it to be like that.

"Tori?"

Tori forced a grin. "We were just friends. That's all." And despite knowing it was the right answer to say, Tori could still feel her heart breaking.

* * *

L.A.: Okay. If, by some miracle, I can keep this schedule, I can hopefully have another chapter the week after next.

Amu: Good luck with that.

L.A.: Aren't muses supposed to be positive?

Amu: Only when you feed them properly. I haven't have pie in weeks.

L.A.: I'm ignoring you. Anyway, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	11. Spirit Egg

Spirit Egg

* * *

L.A.: I barely had time to get this out.

Amu: At least you still met the goal.

L.A.: Yay! Cool! Whatever. I don't have time to be witty. Let's just get on with it.

Review Replies:

 **Angel of Randomosity** : Thanks for the review! Who knows if Hiei knows. He never reveals anything. He probably already knows the entire story but won't say a word about it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. No time for anything else. On to the story!

* * *

Christmas and New Years passed by with ease. There was nothing abnormal and no attacks. After the first of the year, Koenma finally allowed Tori and Sira to get jobs.

Honestly, it was a relief for Sira. Having a job gave her something to do. Allowed her to be distracted from her other thoughts. Thoughts she didn't want to think about.

Luckily, the jobs they previously held were still available. Tori went back to working the register at a bookstore while Sira was at the register in the gift store of the zoo. She couldn't help but feel a little smug when they were shocked that she breezed through training. In fact after a couple of days, they decided to deem her acceptable and left her to her own devices.

That was a week ago. Sira sighed as she leaned back on her stool. Today was a dreary slow day. The overcast and chilly weather kept the tourists from venturing out. There had only been two people in the gift store in the past hour and they had only browsed.

 _What I wouldn't give for some entertainment now._

Naturally without something to do, her mind wandered back to unpleasant thoughts. She had seen no hide or hair of the strange woman from the shadow world. It had practically killed her hiding that from Tori. She knew her best friend knew she was hiding something and it made her feel guilty. The woman told her not to tell anybody and despite Sira wanted to disobey her, she felt a hint of fear. She didn't know why, but she somehow knew the woman would know if she told someone and would make sure Sira would pay for it.

There was also the favor the woman wanted. Sira knew she would collect on it and it terrified Sira what the favor would be.

By lunch time, Sira had completely freaked herself out. Taking her lunch with her, she decided a walk around zoo would help clear her head.

The cold air nipped at her as she walked through the the zoo nibbling on her sandwich. She pulled her jacket closer as her gaze roamed the enclosures.

The animals were barely moving. The cold weather making them want to sleep. Sira couldn't blame them. Right now, curling up under a blanket beside a fire sounded awfully good right now.

She stopped in front of one enclosure and felt a sad smile form on her face.

Of course she would subconsciously be drawn to the wolf enclosure. She always had a love for wolves; but, after Haku was born, she had found them even more like kindred spirits.

She felt a dull ache build up inside her. She missed Haku so much. Despite being the jerk's spirit animal, he always knew how to make her feel better.

Sira peered down into the enclosure. Li, one of the workers, was ambling through the enclosure. He was a few years older than her with shaggy black hair and brown eyes. It was probably his laid back personality that allowed him to be one of the few zookeepers the wolves tolerated in their enclosure. Currently, the wolves were laying about the enclosure watching Li move about with mild interest.

Li glanced up and spotted Sira. He gave her a wave. "How ya doing?"

Sira shrugged. "Bored. Nobody's here."

Li smirked. "That's what you get for working behind the desk."

Sira rolled her eyes. "Not all of us have a way with animals. If I went down there they would probably maul me."

"Nah, I think they'd like you. You've got that kindred spirit wolf vibe," he smiled at her. "Besides, I'd protect you."

Sira frowned. She wasn't positive but it almost sounded like Li was flirting with her. "Uh-huh. I bet you say that to all the girls."

Li winked at her. "Only the pretty ones."

Sira clasped her hand over her chest. "Be still my heart, the cliche jabs are about to rip me apart."

Li laughed.

One of the wolves perked up and looked at him. Seeing nothing of interested, it went back to its malaise.

"I'll see you around," Li said. "And my offer stills stands."

Sira smirked. "If I feel an urge to dance with wolves, I'll let you know."

"Ah, she has a good choice in movies, makes her even prettier," Li said as he waved and exited.

Sira chuckled to herself. She'd never go out with Li. He was great as a friend and nothing more. Still, it was flattering to be flirted with.

Suddenly the wolves all stood up abruptly. Looking up at her, they stood tense, hair raised and growling.

"Since when do you not like me? I'm slightly offended." Staring down at them, Sira soon realized that their attention didn't seem to be focused on her.

She tensed as she felt a presence behind her. Despite it being cold, she could feel heat pounding against her back.

Whirling around, she came face to face with Hiei. "Hiei? What are you doing here?"

He stood glaring at her, not saying a word.

The wolves growled louder.

Sira took a cautious step forward. "Hiei? You okay?"

"Why were you talking to him?" There was something in his voice… something off. He sounded calm, but it was like he was trying to suppress a strong anger.

"You're talking about Li?" Sira asked. "He's a friend."

"Hn…" Hiei took a step toward her.

It was like she was being bathed in a sun lamp. If she couldn't see the snow out of the corner of her eye, she would have thought it was 90 degrees.

"You shouldn't talk to him." On closer look, his eyes were bloodshot. This was an amazing feat since his eyes were already red.

"What? You afraid he's a bad person?" Sira let out a short laugh. "Yeah, pretty sure he's had multiple times to get me." Sira frowned. Did Hiei's face look paler that usual? And was there sweat forming on his face? Before she could stop herself, Sira reached out and place her hand on his forehead. She immediately recoiled. "Jeez, Hiei you're burning up."

Hiei caught her hand and pulled her closer. She didn't even have time to yelp before his face was close to hers.

"What the hell, Hiei?"

The wolves started to howl. It sounded as if they were frustrated they couldn't come up and rip Hiei apart.

"You are mine," Hiei said. There as a slight growl to his voice. "And no one else's."

"What?" Where on earth was this coming from? She barely talked to Hiei since coming back and now he was acting like an over possessive boyfriend? Why would he be doing this?

Unless…

"Hiei, do you remember before?"

Hiei's lips hovered over hers as he stared at her face. "I…" His expression clouded over as a look of confusion crossed over his face.

"Hiei," Sira pressed.

Suddenly, Hiei let her go and took a step back as he rubbed his head. "Why was I…" He trailed off as if he just remembered she was there.

This was definitely weird behavior, even for Hiei. Sira was about to comment, when she noticed that Hiei's left arm was bleeding. Right were the Wraith had scratched him.

"You're bleeding," Sira said.

Hiei glanced at his wound as if he just remembered he had been injured. "Hn."

The wolves snarled and growled from their enclosure.

Sira took a step forward. "Maybe you should see a doctor?"

Hiei snapped out of his daze. Without another word, he flitted away.

The wolves immediately settled down. Glancing down at them, Sira noted that they were taking the previous positions. Their ears were still perked, as if expecting Hiei to returned.

Sira wasn't sure what spooked her more, the wolves reactions or what was happening to Hiei.

* * *

"You're certain the wound was bleeding," Koenma said.

As soon as she could, Sira returned to the apartment and relayed what had happened to the others. She was actually surprised when they held the meeting at the apartment later, Koenma had shown himself. It must have been serious if Koenma took time outside his office.

Sira nodded. "Definitely and I think he had a fever." She turned to Koenma. "Can fire demons have fevers?"

Kurama shrugged. "Possibly. Hiei never shares much about himself so I couldn't be sure."

"But, it does sound like something's up," Yusuke said, "I mean for him to show interest in a human." He glanced at Sira. "No offense."

"None taken." Sira tried not to let her cheeks turn red. She hadn't told them everything about the encounter. She felt the more intimate details should be kept out. The other details seemed more than enough to convince them. Maybe later she'd tell Tori, to see what she thought.

"So, what are we going to do?" Kuwabara asked.

Koenma turned to Botan. "Botan, do you still have that tracker I gave you?"

She nodded as she pulled it out of her sleeves. It looked similar to her mirror compact. "We should be able to track him."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "You have a tracker on Hiei?"

Botan nodded. "Just because he's off probation doesn't mean we fully trust him."

"I don't blame you," Sira said.

Tori glanced at Kurama. "What about him? You still got one on him?"

Koenma stared blankly.

Botan opened the tracker. "Should take a minute to trace him."

Tori frowned. "You didn't answer the question."

Kurama eyed them uneasily. "I don't know if I want to know the answer."

Botan lit up. "Got it. Let's go."

* * *

Botan had tracked Hiei's location to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. The others had been reluctant to let Tori and Sira come but after Sira threatened that she would just wander around aimlessly until she found Hiei on her own, they had relented.

Now, Sira wasn't so sure she should have been so determined to come. The warehouse was reminding her of one of the B-rated horror movies that sent her screaming out of the room. She was just waiting for a chainsaw wielding maniac to come charging at them.

Tori shifted nervously beside her. "Are we sure he's here?"

Koenma nodded. "That's what the device said." There was an edge to his voice. He obviously didn't like being here either.

Which made Sira wonder, why was Koenma here? He usually would let the team take care of missions like this. Koenma liked having a desk job. He was the type that delegated not take action.

Something was up. Sira just wished she could figure out what it was.

Kuwabara took out his spirit sword as they approached the entrance.

Yusuke eyed him. "Is that really necessary? It's Hiei."

Kuwabara nodded. "Yeah, exactly. Do you know how hard it is not to have my sword out at all times when he's around? I swear that guy wants to kill me."

Tori and Sira traded amused glances. If Kuwabara only knew.

"Perhaps it's wise," Kurama said. "Who knows what else might be in there."

They entered the warehouse.

It was dark decrepit and abandoned. Graffiti covered several of the still intact walls. Several windows had been smashed. There was no trace of Hiei anywhere.

"Yo Hiei," Yusuke shouted. "You here?"

Kuwabara glared at Yusuke. "Why are you calling out to him?"

"So, we can find him."

Kuwabara shivered. "Don't. For all we know. He's waiting in the shadows planning his attack."

"Hiei wouldn't attack us… I don't think."

They were standing in the center of the warehouse. Nothing looked out of place. Judging from the others, Sira got the impression that they were frustrated as well.

"I can't sense him," Kurama said.

Koenma nodded. "Something's wrong. We should-"

He was cut off by a loud screeching sound that filled the room.

Tori covered her ears. "What is that?"

Sira couldn't hear the rest. It wasn't the screeching that made her not hear. It was something more. Like a familiar tug.

Ignoring their cries of protest, Sira took off to the room to her right. The feeling of unease was rushing through her.

As she entered the room, she felt her blood run cold. Hiei was sprawled on the ground, pale and unconscious. Above him, hovered a glowing blood red egg. Heat emanated from it and the aura around it felt warped. A crack appeared on the egg.

It was a spirit egg, but unlike before Sira had the growing dread that the spirit beast that was about to emerge was not the one she had been waiting for.

* * *

Amu: Dun… Dun… Dun…

L.A.: No time for sarcasm. No time for wit.

Amu: Will you chill? You still got time.

L.A.: I have no time. I have too much to do (runs away)

Amu: (stares blankly) Okay…since the author is having a breakdown, I guess I'll finish up. You know what to do READ and REVIEW!


	12. Well, If You Ask Nicely

Well, If You Ask Nicely…

* * *

L.A.: Sorry, I know I'm late posting this, but I've been sick for the past two weeks.

Amu: It was not fun at all.

L.A.: I'm still sick, but well enough to be able to post something. I hope you enjoy!

Review Replies:

 **Angel of Randomosity** : Thanks for the review! Koenma is acting strange, isn't he? Must be really interested in all this or really bored. And poor Haku. Too bad he isn't coming out of the egg.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, then I could binge watch it whenever I wanted and not have to pay for it.

* * *

"This is bad," Koenma stammered.

Bad was an understatement. The cracks were growing in the egg. The spirit beast was preparing to hatch at any moment.

Tori glanced at Sira. She was only mildly surprise that Sira looked excited about it. "It's not going to be a cuddly spirit beast, is it?"

Kurama shook his head. "Definitely not."

"It's hatching too early," Koenma's voice betrayed his nervousness. "It'll consume Hiei's soul as soon as it hatches."

"That's morbid," Sira said.

Yusuke shivered. "That was going to happen to me? Freaky."

Kuwabara brandished his sword. "Then let's destroy the thing before it comes out." He charged the egg.

Koenma held out his hand. "No, wait stop!"

He barely made it a few steps before a giant blast of light sent them all falling backwards. As Tori recovered, she looked up at the creature that had hatched from her egg and felt her blood run cold.

It's wasn't Haku. That was obvious. It looked like a combination of the legs and tail of a lizard and the head and body of a snake. It towered over them with it skin was that was on fire and coal black eyes.

It flicked its tongue at them as if tasting the air.

"Now we have a problem," Koenma said,

The creature turned its attention to the prone Hiei.

Kurama whipped out his rose whip. "We need to protect it from Hiei."

Yusuke charged his spirit gun. "Can't believe we're actually saving Hiei."

"Sira, Tori, stay back" Kuwabara said.

The trio charged the creature. Seeing the movement, the creature turned its attention back to the the group and charged.

"How do we stop it?" Tori asked as she turned to Koenma.

Koenma bit his lip as he watched the fight's progress. "You don't. Once a spirit beast is in this form, it won't stop until it eats its host's soul."

Tori's eyes widened in horror. "Then."

"Hiei is doomed."

"Bullcrap."

They both turned to Sira. She was watching the fight with her fists clenched. "I call bullcrap. That isn't going to happen."

Tori placed a comforting hand on Sira's shoulder. "I know you care about Hiei."

"I don't give a flying flip about Hiei. There is no way my baby is going to be a monster."

Koenma frowned. "Your baby?"

"Sira, that's not Haku."

"It is definitely Haku. He just doesn't remember yet." Sira's face lit up. "I just have to remind him." And, before anyone could stop her, Sira marched into the fight.

"Sira! Don't that's not Haku!" Tori tried to follow her, but Koenma stopped her.

"You can't go in the fight. It'll kill you too."

"But…" Despite all the fighting recently, Tori didn't want to leave Sira alone to face the creature.

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama had been thrown to the ground, moaning as they tried to recover. The creature stood above them, hissing in triumph. It turn its attention to Hiei and lowered its head. Opening its mouth drool dripped from its fangs onto Hiei.

"Hey!"

The creature turned to see Sira standing before it, fists clenched.

"Haku! You are being bad." Sira yelled. "I know you're pissed that no one remembers you but I've waiting too long for our reunion for it to end like this. So, stop being a brat and turned into my sweet baby right now."

The trio on the ground stared at her in horror. Tori's mouth was slack jawed.

Koema breathed out an exasperated sigh. "She's going to get us all killed."

The creature cocked its head at Sira and flicked out its tongue. Suddenly there was a poof of smoke. When it cleared, a black wolf pup with red eyes was in the place of the creature. It wagged its tail and barked.

Sira threw open her arms. "Haku!"

Haku jumped into her arms and snuggled into her chest.

Tori was sure if it was possible, the entire group would have face vaulted.

"Are you kidding me?" Yusuke said as he stood up. "You just ask him and he does it?"

Haku looked up at Sira with adoration in his eyes while Sira smirked. "You don't understand our relationship. We have a deep bond."

Koenma turned to Tori. "Was it always this crazy with you guys?"

Tori shrugged. "Me. Sometimes. Her. Always."

Koenma looked like he was going to be sick.

Kurama eyed Haku warily. "How do we know it isn't going to attack Hiei again?"

Kuwabara stepped closer and frowned at Haku. "And how do we even know it's Hiei?"

Haku growled and gave Kuwabara a death glare.

"That enough of an answer for you? He's Haku now. He won't eat Hiei anymore. He's got better taste than that." Sira stared down at Haku. "Though something's missing."

Haku perked up. In a blink of an eye, he zipped away. There was a ripping sound and then he was back in Sira's arms with a piece of white fabric from Hiei's bandana in his mouth.

Sira smiled as she quickly tied it around his forehead. "You are so clever, yes you are."

Haku yipped and wagged his tail.

"What the hell is that thing?"

Everyone turned to see Hiei standing before them with his arms crossed. If he had been in agony a few minutes prior, he didn't show it.

"That thing's name is Haku." Sira glared at him. "And he is your spirit beast."

Haku cocked his head at Hiei and wagged his tail. Hiei placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"You can't kill him."

"Hn."

Yusuke turned to Koenma. "So what now?"

Koenma sighed as if this whole day wasn't worth his trouble. "Let's bring the beast back to the office and make sure everything's in order."

* * *

After Haku had been cleared, Tori and Sira found themselves once again sitting in Koenma's office. The others were off somewhere. Probably filling out paperwork…or trying to avoid filling out paperwork. The only one who had tagged along was Haku who was currently curled up in Sira's lap sleeping.

"So, everything's checked out?" Tori asked.

Koenma nodded. "It seems he is a true spirit beast now… though I have no idea how that happened."

Sira stroke Haku. "Of course, he's a normal spirit beast. Doesn't surprise me in the least."

Tori wasn't as confident as Sira. Sure, she didn't have the same connection with Haku that Sira had, but she still couldn't believe that Sira yelling at him had magically fixed him. "I wish we knew what caused it."

"It's because I told him."

"You're not that powerful."

"If I had my fire breathing dragon…" Sira stopped with Tori glared at her.

Koenma clasped his hands in front of his face. "I have a theory. It is quite possible that Haku remembered you."

Sira and Tori glanced at Haku in surprise.

Haku perked up at his name and cocked his head.

"But how?" Tori said, "Hiei doesn't seem to remember."

"The jerk," Sira mumbled under her breath.

"Memories aren't ever fully gone. Just misplaced. Spirit beasts are tied to a person's subconscious. So, even if Hiei doesn't remember, deep down, there is some part of him that does."

Haku wagged his tail and barked as he settled back down on Sira's lap.

Sira and Tori traded glances. Tori knew what Sira was thinking. First Yusuke and now Hiei. Even if it was only their subsconciouses that remembered, there was still a glimmer of hope that all the memories may return.

* * *

The dark mausoleum was a perfect place for the meeting. It allowed it to seem more dramatic than it really was. The plan had only started going into effect. It was still in the early stages so there wasn't much to do but watch and wait.

He felt the girl shift beside him, trying and failing to mask her impatience. He couldn't blame her. He had promised her all of her desires and had yet to come through. "Patience, child."

She glared at him. "I've been patient. It's been months."

"All good things come to those who wait."

"You sound like a fortune cookie."

He smirked. Snappy as ever. "Our plans are just beginning. Set into motion so quietly that they haven't noticed."

Four dim lights cut on on the other side.

The girl straightened up beside him. "They're here."

They were in shadow as usual. He liked it that way. Pleased the inner dramatist in him. "Well?"

The first figure pirouetted in place before posing like a ballerina. "I peaked in on them. Should be interesting."

The figure beside her sighed. He sounded like an accordion wheezing. "That Toymaker was an idiot."

"Who bloody cares, he served his purpose, right?" The third figure sounded as if she were on the verge of singing.

He sighed as he eyed the four. Just like the girl, they were impatient. "As I've told you, everything is going according to plan. Your parts will be revealed very soon."

"Good," the fourth figure said. A red light similar to a recording light like glowed from one of his eyes. "The inciting incident has occurred and the first act has ended."

He grinned at the fourth figure. "And now, the Second Act begins."

* * *

L.A.: That's it for now.

Amu: I wonder who those people were at the end.

L.A.: Like you don't know.

Amu: I don't know. I'm your muse not a mind reader.

L.A.: Smart ass… Anywho you know what to do, READ and REVIEW!


	13. House Arrests are the New Netflix &Chill

House Arrests are the New Netflix and Chill

* * *

L.A.: So, I'm behind.

Amu: What excuse is it this time?

L.A.: I was busy?

Amu (looks at list): You've use that one before.

L.A.: Why do you have a list?

Amu: Because they're informative.

L.A. (sighing): Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Review Replies:

 **Angel of Randomosity:** Thanks for the review! The wolves weren't really reacting to Sira, but to the threat of Hiei. They were sensing something was off about him and went into protect the pack mode. The only wolf Sira can sort of control is Haku. Hope that clears it up. Also, Amu has been running on a sugar high for weeks from that pie (Amu: Pie is amazing!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, only my strange strange o.c.s.

* * *

Slowly, they found themselves back in the old routine. It was as if Haku had never disappeared. He followed Sira around like a little shadow. Whether Shizuru was okay with Haku being there, Sira had no idea. She never saw the girl anymore. She was pretty sure that Shizuru was avoiding them.

The zoo was also okay with Haku's appearance. Like before, they saw it as a great opportunity to have a wolf ambassador. If they only knew what Haku truly was…

Sira smirked as she glanced down at Haku. He was currently passed out on the pillow behind the counter. Probably warn out from all the attention from earlier that day. Sira sighed as she leaned back on the counter.

It was the slow part of the day. Not many people came during this time of the day. It allowed her mind to wander, to think.

She really should be writing. She still hadn't written a single word since she got here. Of course a lot had been going on that distracted her from writing. Still, she had found time last time to write. Why not now? Maybe she didn't have inspiration? Maybe she was just tired?

 _Maybe you have writer's block?_

Sira shivered as she pushed that thought to the back of her mind. There was no way she had writer's block. Writers who have writer's block got stuck on stories. They procrastinated. They quit writing… permanently.

A cold knot formed in her stomach.

Desperate to avoid the downward spiral of thoughts, she turned to her thoughts toward Tori. She had been distant lately. Of course, they both had been busy with their jobs and settling Haku in; but ,Sira and Tori had always talked, had always had time for each other.

A pang of guilt rushed through Sira. She hated keeping secrets from Tori, but the woman in the shadow world had been pretty firm about not telling anyone. Not that Sira had ever felt the need to follow the rules if she didn't believe in them. Still, there was something about that woman… Sira felt that she would find a way to punish her if Sira broke her promise.

There was also the fact that Tori didn't share what had happened to her head in the shadow realm. She said everything was fine now, that she only suffered a knock to the head. Still, Sira would catch Tori occasionally rubbing her head and wincing when she didn't think anyone was watching her.

This wasn't right. They were best friends. They shouldn't be having this divide between them.

 _I'm got to fix this. We need girl bonding time._

Sira clenched her fists. This needed to stop. She was going to force Tori to sit down and be friends again even if it killed her.

* * *

After what felt like forever, work finally ended. With a sigh, Sira packed up her belongings and a with a whistle to Haku to wake him up, they headed out.

She had barely made it a few feet down the street before she felt a presence behind her. Sira rolled her eyes but didn't turn around. "You still can't kill him."

"Hn."

Sira turned to face Hiei. He had his arms crossed as he stared at her. Since Haku had been born, Hiei would pop by more. He wouldn't admit it, but Sira had a feeling it had to do with his connection to Haku.

Sira and asked Yusuke about it once. He admitted that his connection to Pu had forced him to have sudden urges to appear in front of Keiko's house. It affected you subconsciously and before you knew it, you suddenly were by the spirit beast side… Sometimes to the chagrin of the person taking care of it.

Sira smirked. "Despite what you think, he really is you're spirit beast."

Hiei glared at Haku. "That is not a spirit beast. It's a dog."

Haku glared back with his best Hiei glare.

Sira giggled. "And yet he has your glare."

"He's not why I'm here though."

Sira raised an eyebrow. "You're here for me? I'm so flattered."

"Actually I am."

Sira paled. "What? I was just kidding about that." He couldn't be back to the possessive crazy mess was he? Ever since Haku was born, he hadn't shown any sign of it.

Before she could react, Hiei grabbed her arm. "Come on."

Sira felt a shiver run up her spine. She wasn't sure if it was from a fear or thrill from his contact. "Wait."

Hiei ignored her and jerked her forward. The movement startled her and caused her to yelp.

In a flash, Haku lunged forward and sunk his teeth into Hiei's arm.

Both Hiei and Sira stared down at him, stupefied.

"Uh…"

Hiei's other hand reached for his sword.

"You still can't kill him."

"Hn…"

Haku clamped harder, blood seeping form Hiei's arm.

Sira sighed. "And I appreciate the gesture, Haku, but you can't either."

Haku and Hiei death glared at each other for a moment, before finally backing off.

Haku yipped as he wagged his tail happily at Sira. Apparently he was vey proud for injuring Hiei.

 _They are both really weird._

"Hn…"

Sira glared at him. "Don't like it. Don't read my mind then. The truth hurts."

Hiei smirked. "Well, the truth is I was supposed to take you back to the apartment for an emergency meeting, but since you seem so capable of taking care of yourself…" In a blink of an eye, Hiei flitted away.

Sira stared at the spot where Hiei had been. "Asshole."

* * *

"We're under house arrest!"

Sira couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sure, it was strange for an emergency meeting to be held at Shizuru's, but she didn't think it would result in them being stuck in there for days.

Koenma let out a world weary sigh. "Like I said, it's not house arrest, we're just keeping you monitored temporarily as a precaution."

Tori frowned. "I still don't understand why though. Has something changed?"

Koenma nodded. "There are rumors that a hit has been put out on you."

Sira raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "On us? Why? We're just humans. It's not like we've done anything special."

"Still, we need to take it seriously. Perhaps it is someone who remembers the old timeline or perhaps it's nothing at all. For now, I want you to stay around here. If you have to go out." Koenma motioned to the spirit detective team behind them. "Have one of them escort you."

Sira and Tori glanced back at the group. Whether they were displeased or not with the scenario, Sira couldn't tell. "Oh, joy."

Yusuke glared. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Sira sighed. "I just don't want a babysitter."

Yusuke glared. "Neither do we."

As Koenma starting talking logistics again, Sira tuned him out. It didn't matter how Koenma worded it, they were still under house arrest. It was so frustrating. If they still had their powers, it wouldn't be a problem. Besides, why did anyone care about them anyway?

Haku shifted in her lap.

Sira patted his head as he slipped back to sleep. Sira had noticed Hiei's arm was bandaged by the time she got there. Everybody knew better than to ask what had happened. As for Hiei and Haku, they ignored each other. Probably both still in denial of the other's existence.

"So, are you all clear?" Koenma asked.

Sira blinked. Everyone had turned their attention to her. _Whoops. Guess I should have paid attention more._ "Yep."

Tori raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

"But, before we go under house arrest-"

Koenma blew out a sigh. "It's not house arrest."

"Whatever. I want a few things first."

They eyed her suspiciously.

It was like heaven. If she hadn't been forced to stay here, she would have been bliss. Junk food. Pounds of junk food. Pizza, wings, fries, ice cream, cake, etc. A stack of DVDS were stacked beside the TV.

Sira and Tori sat on the sofa surrounded by it all and feeling overwhelmed.

"When Koenma delivers, he delivers."

Sira nodded. "No joke. I thought he was kidding about his connections. Now I'm scared."

Tori turned to face Sira. "Care to enlighten why you wanted to be bribed to stay in?"

Sira shrugged. "Couldn't it be because I like junk food and movies?"

"True. You are a piggy."

"Hey!"

"But, I can tell it's more than that." Tori pointed to herself. "BFF super powers, remember?"

"Curse your powers." Sira sighed. "Okay, fine, I had ulterior motives."

Tori leaned in, her eyebrows raised. "Go on."

Sira smirked. "I wanted to have some BFF bonding time in the Gilmore Girls way."

"Hence the junk food and movies, but we could have done that any time. Why now?"

Sira hesitated. She fidgeted in her seat. "Because I feel like there is a distance between us now that wasn't there before."

Tori tensed beside her. "Really?"

Sira nodded. "I know you are going through something that you aren't telling me." Tori opened her mouth to protest but Sira cut her off. "And I'm going through some issues right now that I'm not up to talking about yet." Sira paused as she forced herself to meet Tori's gaze. "But stuff like this hasn't affected our friendship before and I'm not about to let it affect it now."

Tori softened beside her. "I don't want it to affect our friendship either."

"So let's make a promise. We're okay that we're holding something back, that we may never know what the other is hiding." Sira smiled. "But, if we ever need to talk about it, we will always be there to listen."

Tori smiled as well. "I can agree to that."

"Good." Sira tried to ignore the tickle in the back of her throat. This was getting too soppy. If she wasn't careful, she'd start crying. "Okay, time to binge watch and eat like the good old days."

"We are going to get so fat."

"And it will be glorious."

Both girls laughed and began the festivities, unaware of a small blinking red light that watched them from a distance.

* * *

Amu: Dun…Dun… Dun…

L.A. (pulls out list): Didn't you use that one before?

Amu: Oh, you want to do a list war? It's on!

L.A.: I'll try to post another chapter in two weeks. Of course, more reviews might encourage me to post sooner.

Amu pulls out list

L.A.: Stop it with the lists.

Amu is sulking.

L.A: You know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


End file.
